The Man in the Mask
by bigdream3r
Summary: Someone is visiting Lucy in her dreams and teaching her how to become a more powerful mage. Is this person trying to help her or do they have another motive? Note: AU split after Grand Magic Games arc.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

He slipped in and out of consciousness as disjointed memories flooded his thoughts. It was as if he were watching the pages of a photo album turn. There was a bloody lip, a torn garment, an overturned table…

The pages of the photo album kept turning, and then stopped—a picture of eyes, dark and lifeless stared back at him.

He tried to shout but he didn't have control of his body. He fought through the murky water of sleep and finally resurfaced. Sucking in air, he finally let out the scream he had been searching for, only to find that it was a roar. He stretched his arms and found that they were wings.

He had to move, do something to get rid of the memories.

The next moment, he looked down and saw that he was flying. His heart was pounding but not from exertion. It was fear and the fear made him furious.

The smell of roasting beef filled his nostrils and sickened him. Humans were nearby— the insignificant pests that infested the earth.

He beat his wings harder and could smell human sweat. He was close now. Looking down, he could see a few scattered farm houses. It would be pointless to destroy those. Why crush an ant when you could wipe out the entire colony?

Just up ahead he saw rows of homes with smoking chimneys. Horse drawn carts were moving along cobbled streets. As he approached, he saw a few of the humans begin to run. It was futile—they couldn't outrun what was coming.

He opened his mouth and felt the electricity of magic pour out of him in waves. His demon's roar seemed to go on forever, filling his vision with blue flame. By the time he was done, he felt tired and numb but at least it was better than the fear.

He glanced down and saw rubble and dirt where there had been homes and people just seconds before. It was an improvement, but enough to ease his troubled thoughts. The desire to circle the rubble and unleash his roar again was tempting but he knew it wouldn't give him satisfaction.

It was impossible to destroy the entire world.

 _Note from Bigdreamer: Thank you for reading my story. I currently plan to post chapters every Monday and Thursday and may post an extra chapter if one of the chapters is small or if I get a really awesome review. Thank you in advance for any reviews I receive and please leave them, even if you are reading this long past the date of its publication. I have another account and I still love getting reviews on stories long after they have been published. I'd also like to thank Catwho for reading this story and providing me feedback. If you are reading this and are interesting in beta'ing, please pm me… I am having trouble finding betas._


	2. Chapter 2

Sweat dripped down Lucy's back but it wasn't because of the hot summer sun. A thin bandit wearing a black mask was circling her, looking for a chance to attack.

Lucy decided to act first, drawing one of her keys. "Open Celestial Gate of the Golden Bull!" she shouted.

There was a loud "Moo!" that made her cringe. Suddenly, the Celestial Spirit Taurus was standing next to her, flaring his nostrils and flexing his arms.

"Don't lay a hand on the beau-ooo-ti-ful Lucy!" he yelled as he slammed the broad side of his ax into the bandit. The blow sent the masked man flying back ten feet. He struck a tree and slumped to the ground.

Lucy put her key back on its keyring and reached for the handcuffs on her hip. This latest round-up of criminals was just one of many in the last two weeks. Gangs like these had been running wild since the city of Margaret had been completely leveled by the dragon-king Acnologia. The event had sent a wave of fear throughout the kingdom, sparking riots and looting. The police had their hands full so Fairy Tail had been called in to help keep the peace.

She took a couple steps towards the bandit and then stopped— he was beginning to move.

"You're tougher than you look," she said.

The masked man stood and dusted the dirt off his pants. "I could same the same thing about you, Ms. Heartfilla."

Lucy froze. How did the man know her name? She recognized his voice, but from where?

"Who are you?" she asked.

The bandit began laughing and her adrenaline spiked. She recognized that laugh—it was Jose Porla, Guild Master of Phantom Lord and former member of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"I see you remember me, Ms. Heartfilla," Jose said with a tone that was a bit too polite to be genuine.

"How could I forget the man who declared war on Fairy Tail and pinned my best friend to a tree?" she asked.

Jose took off his mask, revealing a long nose and thin goatee. "Come now, I don't deserve all the credit for that one. I simply ordered the attack— your friend Gajeel was the one who carried it out." He looked around the forest's clearing. "Unfortunately for you, the fire dragon slayer has his hands full and I don't see Erza Scarlet here to protect you this time."

Lucy looked across a small stream in the direction of his gaze. He was right, Natsu, was fighting another bandit and had his hands full—she would have to try to handle Jose herself.

She glanced at Taurus. He was palming his ax, ready for a fight.

"Jelly Fish form!" Jose shouted.

Dozens of ghostly purple jelly fish appeared and began hitting Taurus with long tentacles. The bull's thick skin offered his some protection but Lucy could tell that the blows were causing him pain. She grabbed another key.

"Open, Celestial gate of the Scorpion!" she shouted.

Scorpio, the master of sand magic appeared with a soft puff of smoke. He aimed his mechanical tail at Jose, and let loose a torrent of sand, completely covering the mage. Lucy watched the pile of sand, waiting to see if the attack had worked.

There was a loud _bang_ as the pile of sand suddenly dissipated. Jose stood there, grinning at Lucy. "My, my… you've gotten a _lot_ stronger, haven't you?"

He motioned with his hands, summoning more of his shade magic. "Shade Entangle!"

The air was suddenly cold and a feeling of dread overcame her. She looked around and saw an army of purple ghosts. They grabbed her and her spirits in an immobilizing grip. The more she struggled, the firmer their hold became.

Lucy stretched her hand and her fingers touched another key.

"Open, Celestial gate of the Archer!" she shouted.

Mist cleared, revealing Sagittarius, the expert archer. With blinding speed, he released a series of arrows, striking each of the shade spirits in the chest and causing them to disappear.

Lucy broke free from the last shade spirit holding her and charged Jose. The older man's eyes widened in surprise the instant before Lucy landed a perfect roundhouse kick to the side of his face. He spun and fell to the ground.

"Damn you," he muttered. He struggled to get up, clearly unsteady.

Before he could find his footing, a large tree came crashing down on top of him, knocking him unconscious.

Lucy looked towards the direction the tree had fallen from. Taurus was standing there with a wide grin.

"I don't think he will be moooo-ving any time soon."

Lucy looked back at Natsu.

His opponent was putting up an impressive fight. He was wearing a black mask similar to the one Jose had worn but Lucy recognized his broad chest and top hat.

It was Aria.

Aria was another strong mage who had managed to defeat their own Guild Master, Makarov, in a battle several years ago.

She raised an arm.

 _Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven_

 _All the Stars, Far and Wide_

 _Show me Thy Appearance_

 _With Such Shine_

 _O Tetrabiblos_

 _I am the Ruler of the Stars_

 _Aspect Became Complete_

 _Open They Malevolent Gate_

 _O 88 Stars of Heaven_

 _Shine!_

A massive beam of light surrounded Natsu and Aria, making the earth rumble. The power from the spell blew Lucy's hair back, forcing her to shield her eyes against the blaze. When the light cleared, it revealed tendrils of smoke and two fallen bodies.

Lucy winced. Perhaps the spell had been a little excessive.

She crossed the stream, trying her best to stick to the dry stones so she wouldn't have to walk back to the Guild with wet shoes. Natsu was groaning but alive.

She offered him and hand up and winced when she noticed that his hair was slightly burnt around the edges.

"Sorry about that." Lucy tried her best to fix his hair. Thankfully, there were no major bald spots.

Natsu scowled at her. "I had things under control. You didn't have to go nuclear on the situation."

"I said I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get a handle on my attack radius." She turned to look for her travel bag. Suddenly, something slammed into her side and knocked her to the ground.

She looked up and saw Natsu hovering over her.

"You're way stronger now. We should fight!" he said with a grin.

"Absolutely not." She pushed against his chest.

Natsu stuck out his lower lip.

"No," she repeated.

He sighed let go of her. "I don't get it. How come you've improved so quickly?" he asked, suddenly seriousness. "Are you training in secret?"

Lucy sat up and tried her best to brush the ash off her shirt. She briefly considered retaliation but rejected the idea. "Why, are you jealous of my new skills?"

"No, I just want to know what's going on with you," he said ignoring her attempt at humor.

She found her travel bag and pulled out a length of rope. "Well, this is going to sound a little weird, but I think I'm practicing magic in my sleep."

He raised his eyebrows. "That sound like something a lazy person would say. You must be joking."

"I'm not joking and if either of us is lazy, it's you."

"How can you possibly practice magic in your sleep?"

Lucy shrugged. "I've been having dreams where I train with a powerful mage. After I wake up, I test out the techniques he's taught me and they actually seem to improve my magic. I figure it has to be the power of positive thinking or something."

"The power of positive thinking?"

"Yeah. You know… when you believe in yourself, you can do anything."

"I don't think it works that way."

"Well, whatever it is, it _is_ working," she said.

Natsu stared at her. "Don't you think it's weird that you're learning magic in your _dreams_?"

"Well, maybe it's a _little_ weird, but what else could it be?" She tightened the rope around Jose's hands and he grunted.

"Did you ever consider that a real person is manipulating your dreams?"

Lucy paused. "Why would someone do something like that?"

He frowned. "I have no idea but it seems like a more probably explanation than _positive thinking_. Does this mage have a name?"

"Yeah, Mr. Black."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "That's original. Do you think he'll enter your dreams tonight?"

"Maybe. I've been dreaming about him almost every night for the last two weeks."

"Two weeks? Damn Luce, you should have mentioned something sooner. How about I come over tonight and watch you while you're dreaming. I'll see if I sense anything out of the ordinary."

"O—kay, if you _really_ think it's necessary." She looked at him suspiciously. "Is this just an excuse to eat all my food and sleep in my bed?"

Natsu laughed. "Nah, I don't need an excuse to do that."


	3. Chapter 3

Natsu leaned against her doorframe while she fumbled with her apartment keys. He was impatient as usual. "For a mage who uses keys all the time, I would expect you to be a little quicker at this," he grumbled.

Lucy didn't look up. "That's the funny thing about keys—the more you have, the harder it is to find the right one."

"This would be a lot easier if you just gave me a key to your apartment already. It's becoming a safety concern. I almost fell last week when I was crawling through the window."

"Well, maybe you should act like a normal person and use the door." Finally she opened the door and they went inside.

"Hiya Captain!" Happy called out. The small Exceed was hovering near the doorway. Apparently Natsu's bad habits were contagious.

Lucy took off her shoes and put her gear away. "There's some fresh fish and ramen in the refrigerator if you're hungry. Help yourselves."

She smiled as she heard a chorus of woops. Those two were _always_ hungry.

With her friends occupied, Lucy made a beeline for her sanctuary—the bathroom. The food would keep her two houseguests busy long enough for a quick bath.

A moment later she was in paradise, allowing the hot water to loosen the stiffness in her muscles. When she finally got out of the tub, she felt like a new person—refreshed and ready for another mission. She put on her pajamas and went back out to join her friends.

It seemed that the brief time alone time might have been too much. Happy was wearing one of her bras and flying around the living room. "Look at me Natsu. I'm Lucy. Don't you want to _kiss_ me?"

He made a kissy face and barely managed to dodge the book that flew towards his head.

"Hey, knock it off you two." Lucy shot Natsu a look and held out a hand towards Happy, motioning for the bra.

The blue Exceed landed on a bookcase and began fumbling with the straps. "How do girls get these things off? It's like a booby trap."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Everyone's already heard that joke before."

"What joke?" asked Happy.

"You didn't even clasp it, here—". She went to the bookcase and helped him out of the bra. "Why are you two even fighting? You never argue."

Natsu shot Happy a dirty look. "He's just upset that he hasn't been coming on as many missions with us."

Now that she thought about it, Natsu was right. "Why aren't you coming on missions with us any more Happy?" she asked.

"Natsu—" Happy started.

Natsu cut him off. "Happy's been spending some extra time training with Panther Lily."

"Oh, that's great Happy. You'll have to show me what you've learned."

Happy was eager for an audience and began striking a few martial arts poses. His short limbs made him more adorable than menacing but Lucy was able to keep a straight face. All three of them chatted and laughed as the sun set.

Happy was very interested in hearing about Lucy's dreams.

"I bet he liiiikes you," Happy sang after Lucy described the mage in her dreams.

Lucy shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not even certain he's a real person. This could all still be a dream. We're just going to play it safe and check things out."

She looked at the clock—it was already 11pm. "Alright guys, I think I'm going to call it a night." She went to the bathroom and and when she came back, Natsu was laying on her queen-sized bed.

"You _cannot_ sleep in my bed tonight," she said firmly. "As a matter-of-fact, you're not supposed to sleep _at all_. You said you were going to _watch_ me sleep."

"And I will. I just want to be comfortable while I'm doing it." He sat up and began taking his shirt off.

Lucy looked away to give him more privacy. "Why don't you just sit in the chair?" She waved her hand at the desk chair she used when she was writing.

"It's uncomfortable." He lifted the covers and got into bed.

"You'll fall asleep if you get too comfortabe," argued Lucy.

"No way. I don't even sleep that much."

That was a lie. Whenever they were on a mission Natsu slept like a log, but arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere. Resigned to a night of stolen sheets, Lucy went to the other side of the bed and got in. She turned on her side and hit the lights.

Instantly, she heard some rustling and the room was bathed in an orange glow. Lucy turned back around.

"What are you doing?"

A small flame was dancing in Natsu's palm. "I'm supposed to watch you."

"Well I can't sleep if I'm worried about a fire hazard in my bed."

He closed his hand and the flame was gone. "Okay, you're the boss. I can see pretty well in the dark anyway.

She rolled back over.

A few minutes later, she heard snoring.

"Natsu!" Lucy shook her bedmate.

"Huh, what's up? Are you dreaming?"

"No, you were snoring. How can you watch me if you're sleeping?"

"Don't worry. I got things under control."

She rolled back over. Natsu was being annoying but he would still come through in a pinch. He always did.

She waited to see if Natsu would start snoring again. He didn't, but his breathing deepened. It was a familiar sound from countless nights of camping. Her sleep came easily.

In her dream, the forest was too quiet to be a real and the air had a distinct smell that she remembered from other dreams—a sort of spicy smell similar to incense. She looked up and saw large oak trees blotting out the sun. It appeared to be either early morning or late afternoon.

Sitting across from her on a fallen tree-trunk, was Mr. Black.

He wore a kabuki mask that looked like a devil with a grin so big, it made her imagine that he had just won someone's soul. It should have been terrifying, or at least uncomfortable, but for some reason it wasn't.

"Welcome back student." He stood and approached her.

"Hello Mr. Black." She bowed slightly to show her respect.

"Are you ready for today's lesson?"

"Yes."

He made a small nod. "Okay then. Let's work on unlocking your inner magic. You've made a lot of progress but you're still holding back."

She cleared her throat and he looked at her. "Before we begin, I had a question?" she asked.

Mr. Black paused. "Yes?"

"Well, it just occurred to me that you have been so kind to me and yet, I don't know anything about you." Lucy twisted her foot back and forth and played with one of her golden locks. If Happy's theory about a crush was correct, a little flirting might help.

Mr. Black stared at her. "What's your point?"

"Just that I'd like to get to know you better. I mean, I don't even know your first name."

"This is a waste of time," he said, beginning to get irritable. "Why do even you care about such things all of sudden? You still want to become a more powerful mage, don't you? I thought you were more serious than this."

Happy had been way off on his secret-admirer-theory. She stopped swaying her foot and dropped her hands to her side.

"Of course, Sir. I was just a little curious, that's all."

Mr. Black waved his hand, ending the conversation. "Let's begin." He found a place in the forest clearing and sat cross-legged.

Lucy followed his lead, kneeling to the forest floor so that the two of them were facing each other.

"Close you eyes and relax," he instructed.

Her eyelids shut and she took a deep breath. Soft chanting filled her ears and she drifted into a trance. The language that Mr. Black was speaking was unfamiliar but beautiful.

After several moments, the chanting stopped. "Now, imagine a third eye here." Fingertips traced the center of her forward. "The eye looks inward, rather than outward."

Lucy visualized an eye peering into her brain. As her sight focused, she saw blood vessels floating amongst grey tissue.

"Use your third-eye to find your chi-lines."

Her vision stretched, moving into the grey matter. She felt resistance but ignored the urge to pull back—this was only a mental exercise and she could get through it.

Suddenly the wall was gone and she was standing alone in a bright room.

"I'm there," she said softly.

"What do you see?"

"A white room, filled with light."

"Excellent. You will need a way to control the light. Try to imagine an object. Like a tool or a wand."

"A wand?" she asked.

There was a pause and Lucy sensed Mr. Black nodding. "In my time, it was common to use a wand. Is there some other object you would feel more comfortable with?"

"A key," she murmured.

"A key is an excellent focusing object. Try to make one appear by gathering the light."

Lucy focused on the light in the room. It felt heavy, sort of like sand. She held out her hands and imagined the light being drawn towards her. Her fingers began to tingle— then burn.

"Ouch." She drew back and was once again sitting on the forest floor. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"What happened?" he asked

Lucy rubbed her hands together, still tender with pain. "It felt like my hands were burning."

The man cupped her hands in his and instantly the pain was gone.

"Better?"

Lucy wiggled her fingers in surprise. "Yes, actually it is."

"Good, let's try again."

Lucy frowned. Suddenly, she couldn't shake the thought that what they were doing might be dangerous. While in that trance, she had felt… something. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "Are you a real person?"

"I thought we were done with questions about me."

Lucy reached for his mask but he was too quick and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't," he warned.

"But I want to see your face. Who are you?" She was beginning to get mad. "Natsu thinks you're a real person."

The man stiffened. "Natsu Dragneel?"

"Yeah, how do you know Natsu?"

The hand around her wrist tightened. "What did you tell him?"

"I don't see why that's any of your business."

A large crash made her jump. Somewhere in the forest it sounded like a tree had fallen. Something told her the timing wasn't just coincidence.

"Ungrateful," he muttered. He dropped her hand, stood up and began to pace. "I told you _not_ to tell anyone about these lessons."

"But—" Lucy fumbled for the words. "If these are just dreams then I don't have to take orders from you."

"Is that what you really think?" he asked. "That these are just dreams?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Shit," she whispered.

He bent down so there faces were mere inches apart. "What? Are you really that surprised? Some piece of you must have realized that you weren't suddenly becoming a competent mage simply by having a couple dreams. How pathetic. True magic is learned through blood, sweat and tears. Or, in your case, being taught by someone else who has already done all the legwork."

"There's no reason to get nasty," she snapped. "Who do you think you are? I never asked for your help and I certainly didn't ask for you to enter my dreams."

He laughed. "No, but trust me, these dreams are an improvement over your typical fantasies. When I enter, you're usually dreaming about princesses or detectives or some strange combination of the two. I've never met anyone as simple-minded as you."

Mr. Black was describing the plot of her latest a novel—a crime-solving princess who had a quirky but lovable side.

She stuck a finger in his face. "Okay, that's it. You're going to get the hell out of my dreams and if you ever come back you can be certain that my guild and I will find you and drag your ass to the magic council."

He laughed loudly. "Does this information really change anything? I'm teaching you to be stronger. That's what you want, isn't it? Does it really matter who I am?"

"Of course it does."

Distantly, she heard someone calling her name. The man's head turned to the side, listening. The voice called her name again, a little louder this time. It was Natsu, but he sounded far away.

"Think about it Lucy. I can teach you how to be more powerful than you ever imagined."

At that moment, she didn't care. Instinct was telling her to get the hell away from the man in front of her. She focused on the voice, like she had learned to focus with her third eye. She felt herself begin to drift between the two worlds.

"This isn't over," the man said. But his voice was already fading.

Suddenly, she was on a bed, being shaken by her pink-haired friend. When she was certain of her surroundings, she hugged him tightly.

"Oh God Natsu, you were right. These aren't just dreams."


	4. Chapter 4

Natsu, Happy and Lucy went to talk to their guild-mate, Levy, the next morning. If there was any information about dream magic in the Guild's extensive library, the blue-haired bookworm would know how to find it. Levy was eager to help and shuffled them into a room with five walls, all filled from floor-to-ceiling with books.

"If this wizard is really using a spell to enter your dreams, we'll find it in here," Levy exclaimed cheerfully. "That should help us find a way to stop him."

The three of them sat down and began going through the dusty volumes.

"Shoo-badee dupe dupe!" A deep voice that was almost in-pitch filled the library.

Levy began blushing. "Hi Gajeel. I'm sorry, I won't be able to go out to lunch today. I'm trying to help Lucy find out who's entering her dreams."

"Eh? Some pervert is spying on the cheerleader's dreams?" Gajeel crossed his arms and peered at Lucy.

"Did somebody say pervert?" Gray entered the room with Juvia close behind.

Gajeel snorted. "Yeah, some pervert is entering Lucy's dreams and stalking her. It's not Natsu, is it?" He gave the Salamander a wry smile.

"You trying to pick a fight with me tin-brain?" growled Natsu.

"Stop fighting you two. Who's trying to seduce Lucy?"

Everyone looked up to see Erza stroll into the library. The little room was getting crowded. Why did everyone decide to visit the library that morning?

Lucy tried to continue reading the books in front of her but people kept asking her questions and making up answers when they didn't hear her response. Somehow Levy was able to ignore the ruckus and kept her focus on the task at hand. Lucy marveled at her friend's dedication as Gray and Natsu started arguing about who was stronger and Juvia begged Erza not to beat up Gray for taking off his clothes. Things had gotten so noisy, Lucy couldn't even hear herself think.

Levy dropped a book on the table with a loud thud and the room instantly went quite. "I found something!" she exclaimed. "It's a spell that allows someone to enter a person's dream."

Lucy hugged her petite friend. "Mr. Black must be using this spell or something similar," exclaimed Lucy.

Levy silently read the spell. Her face fell. "If this is the spell your pervert is using, I won't be able to trace him or even block him from using it again."

"Yeah, but we can try something else," said Natsu.

"Like what?" asked Lucy.

Natsu tuned to Levy. "Do you think you can _cast_ the sleeping spell?"

Levy skimmed the page, and then nodded. "It seems simple enough, why?"

"Can you send _me_ into Lucy's dream?"

"Whoa whoa whoa," said Lucy, holding up her hands. "I'm not sure I want you running around in my dreams."

Natsu was beginning to get excited. "It will be perfect. I'll enter your dream and kick his ass!" Natsu pounded his fists together. "Levy, can you come over tonight?" 

"Sure, anything to help out Lucy."

"Sounds fun," grunted Gajeel. "You can count me in as well."

"What? We don't even need you," said Lucy.

"Hmmmm…. I haven't been over to Lucy's apartment for awhile. I remember she has a really nice bathtub," murmured Erza.

"Lucy's having a party!" shouted Happy.

Lucy dropped her head onto the table. It looked like she was going to be having some extra houseguests that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Predictably, Natsu and Happy were the first guests to arrive and they wasted no time digging into the snacks Lucy had picked up that evening. Gray, Juvia and Erza showed up next, followed by Gajeel and Levy. The iron dragon slayer was carrying an ominous brown bag when he entered.

"Is that alcohol?" asked Lucy.

"Of course," Gajeel grinned and lifted the bottle out of the bag, showing off the vodka label.

"Well, I hope the neighbors don't complain."

"Lucy, how are you going to fall asleep with all these people here?" asked Levy.

"I was wondering the same thing myself." She glanced back at the bottle of vodka. "Maybe they'll all get drunk and pass out?" She turned her attention back to the people milling about her apartment.

Erza was trying to get Natsu to join her in a game of Twister.

"No way," said Natsu. "You are such a bad sport when you lose." He sat on the sofa with his arms crossed.

"Well, what if I get Lucy to play?" Erza snuggled up to Lucy and put an arm around her. "You're up for a game, right Lucy?"

Lucy looked at the rest of the group. It would drive her crazy to try and supervise everyone so why not?

"Sure."

"Are you going to change your mind, Natsu?" asked Erza with a big smile.

He scowled at her. "I guess but only because Lucy is more fun than you." He allowed himself to be pulled over to the plastic floor mat.

The game escalated quickly. Lucy was the first one out— as usual, so she sat next to Happy and watched Erza and Natsu duke it out with a level of competiveness that was wildly inappropriate. There was trash talking, threats, and on one occasion, the purposeful expulsion of a fart.

"Oh my god, that's my face!" screamed Erza.

"Yeah, and my ass just introduced itself!"

Lucy looked over at the kitchen. Gajeel and Gray were doing shots while Juvia and Levy watched. Levy was clearly annoyed but Juvia didn't seem to mind— with every shot Gray took, another article of clothing disappeared. He was down to his socks and boxers.

Lucy excused herself and went to the bathroom.

The door shut and she looked at her reflection in the mirror. A couple strands of hair had become misplaced while playing Twister so she began fixing them. The image in the mirror seemed to shimmer and then a starry sky came into focus behind her. She turned her head and found that the bathroom wall had been replaced with a field of tall grass swaying in the breeze. When she turned back around, the mirror was gone.

She was standing in the middle of a dirt road. There was nothing but flat fields as far as she could see. The smell of incense filled the air.

Somehow, she had already fallen asleep. She looked around and suddenly Mr. Black was standing a few paces away. He held up his hands in an apparent gesture of peace.

"Lucy—" he started.

She backed away. "Who are you?" she demanded.

He dropped his arms down. "Someone who is losing his patience. Is there anyway we can get past that annoying question?"

"Um, no."

He mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing. I knew it would be pointless to try and reason with you."

"Well, why don't you try? I'm willing to listen."

He adjusted his jacket and sat in a small folding chair that Lucy was pretty sure hadn't existed a moment before. He pointed behind her and she found a similar chair. She decided to remain standing.

"Being stubborn isn't going to get us anywhere," he said.

"I'll take my chances." She glared at him. "Did you use some sort of spell to make me fall asleep?"

"Yes."

"Who are you?"

"My name isn't important."

"Why are you entering my dreams?"

"You already know the answer to that—to teach you how to become a more powerful mage."

"And why do you want me to become more powerful?"

Silence.

"Why did you even come here if you aren't going to explain yourself?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I didn't come here to explain anything to you." He leaned forward and a breeze shifted the white robe he wore over his jacket. "I came here to find out if you will continue your lessons."

"Are you kidding? Do you seriously think I'll take lessons from you without knowing anything about you?"

"Perhaps. There are many people who wouldn't pass up the opportunity to gain more power."

"Well, I'm not one of those people."

He nodded slowly. "I see that now. I was really hoping you would be more cooperative."

Lucy's hand itched for her keys. It was an old habit that wouldn't do her any good here—her celestial keys had never been in any of her dreams with Mr. Black.

"So what now? Are you threatening me?" she asked.

"Threats aren't necessary." He stretched and put his arms behind his head as if he were sunning himself at the beach.

If it came down to a wizards fight between her and Mr. Black, Lucy didn't think she stood a chance. During their exercises, she had gotten a sense of his powers and was certain he could level a building if he chose to do so.

"Lucy!" It was Natsu's voice.

Lucy turned around and saw her friend running down the road.

The man in black stood up and balled his hands into fists. "Natsu." The level of disdain in his voice was surprising. He turned his attention back to Lucy. "I think its time we finally meet in person." With a soft pop, he vanished.

Natsu ran up to her, panting. "Lucy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I think we're in trouble. We're dealing with a very powerful mage—he was able to cast a spell and force me to fall asleep."

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, I know. We found you asleep on the bathroom floor and decided to send me into your dream as soon as possible." He looked around the dream-world. "It worked but man… this is kind of creepy."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure you're going to be able to help. He's already gone and I think his next move is to try and meet in person."

"Damn, I barely even got the chance to see the guy much less beat the snot out of him."

She looked down the long road and she was suddenly struck by something. "This is strange."

"What?"

"I've never been in one of these dreams without Mr. Black being here." She turned towards Natsu. "I think we should investigate. Maybe we will find a clue about his identity."

He looked around the barren landscape. "There isn't much to investigate."

Lucy squinted her eyes and tried to look down the road. "Maybe. But let's try heading down this road for a bit."

Natsu agreed and they began walking.

"So am I missing anything amazing at the party?" Lucy asked after they had been walking for awhile.

"Not much. Erza won the game of Twister but she cheated. Then she was going to take a bath but you wouldn't come out so Gajeel broke the door down."

She winced. "I hope my landlord isn't mad at me. Was there a lot of damage?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. He was a little tipsy and used the full power of his _Iron Fist_. The door came off at the hinges and missed your head by inches. I was pissed."

She raised an eyebrow. "You felt _Gajeel_ was over doing it?"

"Yeah. I don't see why he has to be so rash. You could have gotten hurt. Levy was pissed at him also. By the way, did you know they're dating now?"

"Yeah, Levy mentioned it to me the other day. I'm so happy for them. They make a cute couple, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure Gajeel makes a cute anything," said Natsu sardonically. "But I guess it's cool they're happy."

A wooden fence was now running along the length of the road. It was the first variation they had seen in the landscape. Lucy was happy to note the change—it had begun to feel like they were walking in a never-ending loop.

"Do you know how Gajeel asked her out?" Natsu asked.

"No, Levy didn't fill me in on all the details yet."

"I bet he was nervous."

Lucy smiled, imagining the burly man fumbling for words in front of her small friend.

"Maybe." She stopped walking. "I see something."

They both craned their necks. Off in the distance, was an orange light.

"Let's get closer," said Natsu. They started to jog.

As they approached, Lucy could see that it was a small cottage. A dim light glowed through the windows.

They edged their way towards the door and Natsu knocked. "Hello?" he called out.

No response. Natsu pushed the door and it opened so they entered. The room was modestly furnished with two chairs and a small table. There was a single wax candle burning that cast shadows around the walls.

Lucy walked down the hallway and saw a small kitchen with a fireplace and a water basin. There were no modern appliances or even running water.

"This home looks old," she said.

"And small," added Natsu.

They both went into the last room which held two beds. Something was sitting on the covers of one so Lucy picked it up.

It was a toy sheep made from grey cloth, wool, and straw.

"A family lived here," she said.

"Yeah, do you think it was Mr. Black's?"

"I don't see who else's it could be."

"Do you think he was the child or the father?"

In the distance, a cat cried out. Lucy shivered. Somehow, they were digging into Mr. Black's thoughts. "I don't know. Do you see anything else that might help us? Let's hurry up and get out of here."

Natsu looked at the bed with the stuffed sheep on it. There were scratch marks on the wall.

He peered closer and ran his fingers along the etchings. "Aaron? Do you know anybody by that name?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Damn. Well, it's a good clue anyways," he said.

The cat cried out again but this time it sounded closer.

"That cat sounds like it's dying," said Natsu.

"Yeah, I wonder if there's anything we can feed it." Lucy started walking towards the kitchen.

"Oh God. Lucy…" Natsu's face went pale.

"What?" She moved towards him and then jumped as a shriek came from somewhere in the cabin. It sounded horrific.

"I don't think that's a cat." Natsu seemed to flicker like a flame and then he was gone.

 _If that's not a cat…_

 _****Bigdream3r: Feedback is always welcome…_


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy heard a shriek again but this time it was so close, it sounded like it was inside her head. A feeling of vertigo washed over her and she suddenly didn't know if she was standing or lying down. The image before her flickered between the small cottage and darkness, finally settling on darkness. She opened her eyes.

Lucy was back in her apartment, lying on her bed but something wasn't right.

"Levy, get out of here!" There was a large bang and the room shook.

"I can't. He's going to kill you!"

It took Lucy a moment to understand what she was hearing. Levy and Gajeel were fighting someone in her living room. Her hands went to her belt and she found her celestial keys.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open.

Mr. Black, complete with black jacket and devil's mask was standing there. He held Gajeel by the neck in one hand.

"Bricks!" shouted Levy. The word "BRICKS" appeared over Mr. Black and then crashed down on his head.

He didn't even flinch. He pointed towards the window. "Vitus."

The curtains broke free from their rod and slithered across the floor. Levy screamed in horror but the fabric quickly wrapped around her, silencing her.

Blood was dripping from every orifice in Gajeel's face. Lucy had seen Gajeel after dozen's of fights but she couldn't remember him ever looking this bad. Somehow, he was still conscience and trying to pry himself from Mr. Black's grip.

"Lev—y!" Gajeel tried to shout as he choked on his own blood.

Mr. Black slammed him down into the floor. The force was hard enough that floorboards snapped. Without pausing he hoisted Gajeel back up, punched him three times in the face and then threw him against the wall. Lucy watched in shock as Gajeel's body didn't stop at the wall and instead took out half her apartment's siding. She had a clear view of the buildings and trees on the other side of the street now.

Lucy rolled off the bed and kept low so that she was out of Mr. Black's line of sight. Her fingers wrapped around a key and she silently summoned a spirit.

The twin celestial spirits Gemi and Mini appeared next to her.

Lucy reached out and grasped their hands. Whenever Gemi and Mini touched another being, they gained knowledge of that person's thoughts and could copy their appearance and magic. Lucy was concentrating on a plan.

Within seconds, the spirits nodded and instantly transformed into a copy of their summoner. The Lucy-doppelganger gave a wink and stood with her hands in the air.

"I give up. Just please don't hurt anyone else."

The real Lucy stayed crouched behind the bed. She could hear floorboards creaking as Mr. Black approached.

"I'm glad you're finally being agreeable," he said. His voice carried the same trace of arrogance that had been there in her dreams.

"You haven't given me much of a choice," said Gemini. She began to walk towards him, keeping her hands in the air.

Lucy could hear them leaving the bedroom and hope began to bubble up inside of her. If Mr. Black left with Gemini, the spirit could safely return to the Celestial World whenever she wanted. If she touched him, she might even figure out his true identity.

"Lucy, get back!"

Lucy's hope-bubble popped as Natsu's voice filled the room. She peeked over the edge of the bed in time to see the dragon slayer flying through the air.

Mr. Black moved with a speed that was surreal. In an instant he dodged the attack and landed a kick to the back of Natsu's head, sending him face first into the floor. He rubbed his hands together. "Natsu Dragneel. I thought you might be here. This ought to be fun."

Natsu swung his body around and kicked Mr. Black's shins. A normal person would have fallen to the floor but their assailant stood as motionless as a rooted tree. Before Natsu could try another attack, Mr. Black lifted his leg and slammed it into his back.

Lucy gritted her teeth but stayed out of view. The urge to help was nearly overwhelming but she was hesitant to abandon her decoy plan.

"Are you done already?" mocked Mr. Black. "Surely you can do more than that?" He pressed one of his sandals against Natsu's skull.

Seeing an opportunity, Lucy slid underneath the bed and lifted the dust cover. The movement caught Natsu's attention and he looked over. There was a moment of confusion and then understanding when he realized that the real Lucy was hiding under the bed. She hoped the new knowledge would make him a little less reckless.

Mr. Black removed his sandal from Natsu's head. "This is really disappointing, I expected you to be _much_ stronger." He tapped the cheek of his mask. "Here, hit me with everything you got. I won't even block it."

With some effort, Natsu stood up and squared off against Mr. Black. "What do you want with Lucy?" he asked.

"My, you seem very concerned. I suppose I can give you a little hint—" He held up his hand to his mouth as if he were telling a secret. _"It's not to read her latest novel."_

Natsu clenched his fists and they were instantly engulfed in flames. "You still want to give me a free punch?" His voice had become deeper and Lucy shivered. Natsu didn't seem completely human when he used the more powerful elements of his dragon slayer magic.

Mr. Black made a beckoning gesture with his hand. "Bring it."

Natsu drew back and released a punch that sent a magical shockwave through the apartment. Lucy's bed groaned as it slid several feet across the floor. The papers from her latest novel fluttered around her apartment like startled doves.

 _Honestly, why did I ever think I was going to get my security deposit back on this apartment?_

The bed shifted enough to temporarily expose her but luckily Mr. Black's body was hurling through the opening in her apartment wall. She heard a "thud" as his body hit the ground below.

Lucy lifted her head. "Do you think that did it?"

Natsu shook his head. "I don't think so. This guy's tough. Stay hidden."

"Next time he hits you, just stay down. Let him leave with Gemini," she whispered.

There was a groan and they both turned their heads. Gemini was lying on her face with her feet up over Lucy's vanity stool. Her skirt was completely up, exposing white lace panties.

"Gemini," Lucy hissed. "Get it together. She turned her attention back to Natsu. "Did you see what he did to Gajeel? And I don't even see Erza. You might not be able to win this fight."

To her surprise, Natsu nodded. "Maybe. That's why I think you need to get out of here if you get the chance."

Lucy shook her head. "No way. You're going to need all the help you can get. We're partners, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. But this time, you're the target. And we don't know what he's going to do—"

Their conversation was interrupted as the floorboards in front of Lucy's face exploded, revealing a pale fist. The hand grabbed one of the boards and pulled down, widening the hole.

"Shit." Lucy scrambled backwards.

A swirl of black shot up from beneath the floor and suddenly Mr. Black was in front of her. He glanced between her and Gemini who had finally managed to right herself and pull her skirt down.

"Well, _that_ could have been inconvenient," the masked man muttered as he casually wiped the dust off his shoulder. He picked up her desk chair and shattered it against the floor, creating a makeshift club. "Using Gemini as a decoy was an excellent plan. You almost had me fooled there."

Lucy grabbed a stray shoe and threw it at him. He ducked and kept walking towards her.

"Now, I just need to figure out which of you is the _real_ Lucy Heartfilla. Did you know there's an easy test for that?" He was now so close he could look down at her. "I just have to see if you _bleed_."

He brought his arm back and Lucy closed her eyes, preparing for the blow.

 _Crack!_ The sound of wood hitting bone and flesh carried through the apartment.

Lucy opened her eyes and saw Natsu standing in front of her. The chair leg was in one hand and he was in Dragon Force mode. Scales had formed on his skin and his canines had lengthened. This form was usually one of Natsu's last resorts. The fact that he felt he already had to use it scared the hell out of her.

Natsu gripped the chair leg hard enough that it splintered. "Get out of here Lucy."

"What about you?"

He stared at his opponent. "Don't worry about me, I'm getting fired up."

Lucy paused and then started for the door. Natsu was right, she was the target. If she could escape, their assailant may abandon the fight.

Mr. Black flicked his wrist. "Termino." The bedroom door slammed shut.

Lucy grabbed another key. "Open Celestial Gate of the Ram!" A blushing woman with pink hair and horns appeared.

"Aires, create a soft landing for me outside!" shouted Lucy.

The Celestial Spirit waved her arms and a blanket of white fluff filled half the room and spilled onto the street below. Lucy tried to run towards it but Mr. Black stepped in front of her.

Natsu pulled Lucy back. "Gemini, block him!" he shouted.

Without hesitation, Gemini ran and launched herself at Mr. Black. "Lucy kick!" she screamed.

Lucy didn't have time to see the outcome of Gemini's attack because she was suddenly hoisted in the air and flying. There was a brief glimpse of blue sky followed by clouds of white. The clouds got bigger and bigger, until they were all she could see.

It took Lucy a moment to realize that Natsu had just thrown her out of her apartment and she was falling down three stories. She had just enough time to put her arms in front of her before she hit the soft pile of fluff.

Muffled sounds of Natsu and Mr. Black fighting made it through the thick wool walls but she could see absolutely nothing. "Aires, I landed. Please unsummon your fluff!"

Lucy waited but nothing happened. She could tell that the spirit was still in the physical world but for some reason, she wasn't removing her wool.

There were more loud bangs and shouts.

 _Damnit, I don't want to die in a giant fluff ball while all my friends are fighting._

Lucy began to inch her hand towards her belt. It felt like it took forever but eventually her fingers traced the ridges of her cherished keys. She could distinguish each one by touch and easily found the one she was looking for.

"Open Celestial Gate of the Maiden!"

The spirit's pull on her power let her know that she had successfully opened the gate. "Virgo, can you dig me out of here?"

"Yes Mistress," came the muffled response.

The pile of fluff began to shake and a few moments later Lucy was being pulled from her cocoon. She looked back up at her apartment in time to see flames shooting out of her bedroom.

"This is surreal," she whispered. She was about to start running down the street when she noticed an arm sticking out of a pile of bricks. The leather wristband told her it was Gajeel. She ran over and gripped his hand, relieved when she felt him squeeze back.

"Hold on, we'll get you out of this," Lucy shouted. She looked at Virgo and the spirit immediately began digging through the pile of bricks.

Lucy never would have predicted the brutal beatings her friends had just taken. Her Guild was made up of some of the strongest mages in all of Fiore. How had a creepy guy in a theater mask been able to wipe the floor with them?

Dust swirled around her apartment building. Suddenly a dark figure emerged.

"You've got to be kidding me," she breathed.

Mr. Black was standing at the edge of the third floor, looking down. His head jerked when he saw her.

Lucy turned and started running. There was a loud crash and she glanced back. Mr. Black had jumped down to the ground and was standing up. A small crater had formed where he landed.

 _Damn, Damn, Damn._

Without breaking her stride, Lucy closed the gates of the Twins, the Sheep and the Maiden. She could only maintain three spirits in the Physical Realm at once and she was going to need all the magic she could muster.

"Open—the gate of—the Lion," Lucy panted.

Loke appeared about a dozen feet in front of her. If there was going to be a fight, Lucy wanted her strongest spirit by her side.

When he saw her, Loke's face lit up with a handsome grin. "Hey Luc—" he started.

Lucy ran right past him, not bothering to slow down. "Stop that man!" she shouted.

Lucy could imagine the confused look on Loke's face but he must have regained his bearings quickly because she heard him summoning his attack.

"Regulas!"

Lucy usually stood with her spirits during a fight but this wasn't a typical fight—

it was an escape mission. She kept running.

Her lungs were starting to burn and she knew she couldn't keep up the pace for long. She needed a plan.

Somewhere in the distance, a whistle blew.

 _The train!_

The train station was just another two blocks from were she was and the whistle was usually blown when a train was departing. If she could just make it to the train station, there was a chance she might get away.

She glanced over her shoulder. Loke was on the ground and Mr. Black was back in pursuit. Her strongest spirit had only managed to delay her assailant a minute or two. Even worse, he was gaining on her with a supernatural speed.

"Open, Celestial— Gate of— the Goat!"

Again, a spirit appeared in front of her. This time it was Capricorn, a strong spirit who was excellent in hand-to-hand combat.

"Stop the man chasing me!" shouted Lucy.

She zoomed past Capricorn. Her legs were burning and she was beginning to feel dizzy. She turned. There was just another block to go. In the distance, she could see smoke. It had a diagonal shape, telling her that the train was already on the move. She might be too late.

Her body felt like it was going to break. In frustration, she screamed, but she didn't stop running. People walking on the street stopped and stared at her. She must have looked like a mad-woman.

"Move it," she screamed again. She dared another glance back. Capricorn was still engaged with Mr. Black. Perhaps he would buy her enough time…

Lucy ran through the train station. The caboose was just leaving the terminal and was already moving at a good clip.

"Hey, lady! You can't get on that train!" Someone was shouting at her but she didn't care. All she could focus on was the train.

She had closed the gap between herself and the train. She was running along it, looking for a way to hoist herself up. She stumbled and fell back a few paces.

"I will not give up!" she screamed.

She reached deep inside herself and pushed her "Lucy dig deep" button. This was the button she pushed in dire emergencies when all her strength was gone and she needed just a little more.

With a final burst of speed, Lucy leapt and grabbed the railing on the back of the caboose. She caught it and didn't let go. With the strength of a hundred steel ab workout sessions, she swung her body around and landed on the floor of the train.

Lucy lay on the floor, catching her breath. Her vision dimmed briefly and she thought she might pass out but the sensation passed. She turned her cheek, enjoying the feel of the cool wood and then paused.

 _It can't be._

In the distance, she could make out a man in black running after the train. The pace of the train had picked up quickly and Lucy estimated their speed to be about 50 mph. No human could run that fast.

She sat up and stared.

The man was getting closer.

"No!" she shouted. "No, No, No! Can't I get a break? This can't be happening!" Lucy slammed her hand against the floor. She was too tired to even stand. With a shaky hand, she grabbed another key.

"Open, Celestial Gate of the Archer."

Sagittarius appeared, and he looked worried. "Lucy, what's going on? Spirits keep disappearing and reappearing in our realm."

"I'm up against a really strong enemy, look!" She pointed down the railroad at the man who was approaching quickly. "Please stop him!"

Sagittarius drew his bow and released an arrow. The distance was too great for Lucy to see the result.

"Did you hit him?"

"Yes."

"Then why is he still coming at us?" Lucy didn't like the sound of her voice. She was practically crying.

The spirit's Adam's apple bobbed. He pulled back his bow and released another arrow… and then another…and then another. He was firing in rapid succession but Mr. Black was not slowing down.

Lucy watched in horror. There was nothing else she could do.

 _This man is the devil._

Mr. Black had almost reached them now. Lucy could see the arrows sticking out of his chest. He reached up and grabbed the railings.

"Get the hell away from me!" she screamed. Lucy kicked at his hands with her feet. Sagittarius pulled back his bow again but Mr. Black grabbed the front of his vest and tossed him off the train.

Instead of simply hopping up onto the train, he remained behind it. There were loud snaps as broken railroad ties popped up behind them. Mr. Black was digging his feet into the ground.

He was trying to stop the train.

"What is wrong with you?" Lucy screamed.

The railing that Mr. Black was holding onto broke and he tumbled forward. He fell face-first into the ground.

"Ha, ha!" Lucy pumped her fist in the air. She saw Mr. Black lift his head and she flipped him the bird.

He got up and started running again.

Lucy groaned. "Why did I do that? He's going to be pissed."

Mr. Black caught up to the caboose quickly and ran along its side. He kept pace with the train for a few seconds and then made a sharp cut for the car. His shoulder rammed the siding and Lucy felt the caboose lift off the tracks and tip. There was a brief moment when she thought the caboose would keep going and flip-over but it came crashing back to the tracks instead.

She held onto the railing but the force of the impact jerked her body and she heard a pop as her shoulder became dislocated. The next instant her face slammed into the flooring and she saw stars.

The caboose was still moving forward but it was decelerating. It had become detached and was gliding along the tracks. Her escape plan had failed. Mr. Black would have no problem catching up to a coasting target.

 _Well, I guess I'm about to find out what this madman wants._

**Bigdream3r: Thank you for the reviews! Please keep them coming.


	7. Chapter 7

A thin stream of blood leaked out of Lucy's nose and pooled beneath her. She could hear the _click, click_ of wooden sandals as they made their way across the caboose's flooring but she didn't look up. Instead, she focused on the little puddle of blood.

Mr. Black grabbed her by her neck and lifted her to her feet. She coughed and tried to get her balance. The sprint through town had left her legs weak and they weren't doing a good job of supporting her.

" _That_ was a lot more work than I was anticipating," Mr. Black said.

"Well, you know what they say—hard work helps build character."

He took the keys from her belt and then released her. Lucy's legs wobbled for a minute and then she sank to the floor. Mr. Black looked down at her and finally seemed to notice the arrows sticking out of his limbs and chest.

"Sagittarius is an excellent shot, isn't he?" He began pulling the arrows out.

"I couldn't have asked him to do better." She stayed on the floor. There was a certain tranquility that came with giving up.

When Mr. Black had plucked the last arrow from his body he knelt down and tilted Lucy's face, examining her injuries. After the inspection was complete, he ran his finger along the brim of her nose.

"Sana."

Lucy could feel her nose shift and the pain was gone. He must have cast a healing spell.

"My shoulder hurts also," she offered.

Sure enough, Mr. Black began prodding her shoulder. When he had sufficiently felt along the bones and tendons, he folded her arm and rolled her onto her side.

"What are you—" Lucy started.

Sharp pain shot through her shoulder as he popped her joint back into place. Lucy screamed in agony and glared at him angrily.

"Why didn't you use the healing spell?"

"It wasn't necessary. Can you walk?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not very well." It was the truth.

This didn't faze her captor. Instead, he simply picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Lucy's body swayed side to side as he marched back towards her apartment. It was humiliating. People stopped and stared at them but no one said anything. She thought about calling out for help but normal citizens didn't stand a chance against the man—he was a monster.

When they got back to her apartment building, Lucy noticed a black carriage parked outside. Mr. Black walked to the front of the coach and spoke to the driver. "I'll load her up. Go bring me one of the Fairy Tail wizards."

"Is there one in particular I should bring?" asked the driver. His voice was airy, as if he were whispering.

"No, anyone will do." Mr. Black opened the coach's door. "Wait—on second thought, bring me a woman. Get the weak one with blue hair."

The driver hopped down from the carriage and jogged up to the apartment. Lucy could only see his back. He was dressed in black robes.

"Why do you need another person? I thought you were just after me," she asked.

Mr. Black dropped her on the ground and she grunted.

"I want a bargaining chip. You see, I need you alive."

"And you need a person who is… _expendable_?" She cringed as she said the last word.

Mr. Black was silent.

"Wait, what about Natsu?"

"What about him?" Mr. Black went to the back of the carriage and opened a trunk that was sitting on the luggage rack.

"Well, why didn't you request Natsu? He _is_ my partner and you seem to have some sort of an issue with him."

Mr. Black began rummaging around the trunk. "Where did I put that? I just had it," he muttered to himself.

Another thought occurred to Lucy. "Wait, Natsu's still alive isn't he?" She tried to stand and fell back down.

Mr. Black glanced over his shoulder at her. "Yes, he's still alive. I just don't want to kill him at this particular point in time. Ah—here it is." He pulled a candle out of the trunk and closed the lid. "Actually, let me rephrase that—I _won't_ kill him at this point in time."

Lucy could see the driver returning with Levy draped over his back. Tuffs of blue hair poked out from the twisted curtain. As they approached, Lucy tried to make out the driver's face. He looked extremely pale and thin.

"Look, I'll do whatever you want me to do. Please don't drag Levy into this."

Mr. Black motioned for the driver to put Levy in the carriage, then turned his attention back to Lucy.

"I got a better idea. How about I bring your little friend along and if you cooperate, I won't turn her into dust." He lit the candle.

Lucy stared at him. "I'll cooperate."

"Yes, I think you will." He closed his eyes and began chanting. Lucy heard her name among the strange syllables.

"Sweet dreams." He blew out the candle and she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The carriage came to an abrupt stop and Lucy tumbled to the coach's floor. The stiffness in her body told her that she had been asleep for several hours. She sat up and looked at the opposite bench.

"Levy!" she hissed.

The bundle of paisley curtains didn't move.

"Levy," she said again, this time a little louder. She shook the mass of fabric.

To Lucy's surprise, an edge of the curtain uncoiled and swiftly slapped her hand away.

"Ouch!"

As she was stared at the mass of fabric, she heard a muffled voice and saw the bundle begin to shake.

"Oh, thank god you're still alive," said Lucy. "Don't worry Levy. I'm going to try to get you out."

The carriage door opened, bathing her in light. The sun's glare temporarily blinded her but Lucy could feel someone trying to grab her. Instinctively she began to slap and punch. The person who had been trying to pull her let go and Lucy tumbled out of the coach landing on her hands and knees.

There were several gasps. Confused, Lucy looked around. She was in the middle of a courtyard and at least a dozen people stood around her. A few of the bystanders looked strange and she realized that they weren't even human. One of the creatures had blue skin and four arms. Another only had a single giant eye in the center of his forehead and no neck. The diverse group of gawkers had one thing in common—they were all looking at her like she had just kicked a puppy.

"What?" she asked.

No one spoke.

Slowly, Lucy turned her head.

Her blood turned cold. The identity of the Mr. Black had just been revealed.

"Zeref," she whispered.

The devil's mask lay in the dirt at his feet. Lucy recognized the Killing Mage from a brief encounter on Tenrou Island seven years ago. He was more than 400 years old but appeared to be in his early twenties. Watching him now, it was obvious that Mr. Black had been the perfect alias. Everything about his appearance was black. Black eyes, black hair, black clothes—there even seemed to be a black aura surrounding him.

Zeref was proclaimed to be the most powerful and evil mage in all of history. He had mastered the black arts and killed thousands. His magic had resurrected demons and thrown the world into chaos. Children whispered stories about him around campfires and politicians accused their rivals of supporting him.

And Lucy had just smacked him in the face.

Zeref was looking down at his mask. Slowly his head lifted and his eyes met Lucy's.

"It seems I've lost my mask."

She swallowed. "Yes—Yes, you have," she said slowly.

He was silent for a moment and everyone stood motionless. When he finally spoke, he was eerily calm. "Well, I suppose I don't need it anymore anyway. Do you know who I am?"

"Yes." She was suddenly scared to speak more than a few words.

"Well, perhaps that will help move things along."

He pointed at the bound Levy. "Eximo."

The curtains unwrapped themselves, revealing a bewildered librarian. She sat up reached out for Lucy.

"Lucy, are you okay? Do you know what happened to Gajeel?"

Lucy winced, remembering Gajeel being tossed through her bedroom wall. "I'm fine so don't worry about me. Gajeel was hurt but alive the last time I saw him," she answered honestly.

Levy nodded and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Now isn't the time for questions," interrupted Zeref. He motioned for the carriage driver. "Keith, please take this young lady to the West Tower. I'll escort Ms. Heartfilla to the East Tower."

The driver hopped down and Lucy could finally see his face—or lack of a face.

Keith the carriage driver was a skeleton.

Levy saw him and shrieked. "Oh God, no!" She scurried back, trying to get away.

For a dead guy, Keith could move pretty well. He hoisted Levy over his shoulder and began walking towards one of the four castle towers, each of which were made of red stone, something Lucy had never seen before.

Zeref looked down at her. "Can you walk?"

"I'm—I"m not sure."

She wasn't about to start a fight so she tried to stand. Her legs were horribly cramped from her run through Magnolia but with a little effort, she made it.

"This way." Zeref began walking towards the tower opposite Levy's.

Lucy followed. The cramps in her legs were so bad her gate was more of a waddle.

She heard someone snort with laughter and she turned to see who it was.

A tall man with dark skin and crescent shaped earrings was grinning at her.

Lucy put her head down and kept walking. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up as she felt the eyes of the servants watching her.

When they got to the tower, Zeref opened the door and ushered her up a winding staircase. At the top, there was a room furnished with an oak bed, wardrobe, and dresser. There was even a master bathroom with a soaking tub and toilet.

"Not bad accommodations. I see evil pays well."

Zeref began walking around the room. "I didn't buy this place. I killed the previous owner." He touched the shutters. "Praesideo," he murmured. The wooden boards immediately swung shut. He walked to the door and repeated the incantation. When he was done, he looked around the room once more.

"I think this room will suffice. I hear there is a dungeon in this castle although I haven't seen it myself. Try anything stupid, and I'll move you there." He walked towards the door. "Rest up. Tomorrow, there's going to be one final lesson."


	9. Chapter 9

Early the next morning, Lucy heard loud shouts coming from the courtyard below her room in the tower. Curious, she peered through a gap in one of the window's shutters. Something _big_ was happening below. Servants were milling about the courtyard making frantic gestures.

She tried to pry one of the wooden panels open for a better view but stopped when she heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairwell. She backed away from the window and looked at the door expectantly.

There was a metallic jingle and then a small click as a key slide into the lock. The doorknob rattled but didn't open. Two men began speaking on the other side.

"What's the problem Azuma?" The man speaking sounded worried.

"The Master must have cursed the door. I can't open it."

"Dammit! What are we going to do?"

"I could just blow up the door," offered Azuma.

"I'm still here!" shouted Lucy. She didn't like the sound of a potential explosion ten feet away from where she stood.

The two men began to whisper and Lucy pressed her ear to the door.

"I think we should still question her though. If we can find out who her friend is, we stand a better chance of tracking her down." It sounded like the man named Azuma was speaking.

"Look, the Master must have cursed the door for a reason and I don't want to risk pissing him off. Remember what he did to Zancrow last week? That could be us."

"That could be us if we don't find the other girl," said Azuma.

"Hey, that's on Keith. I'm going to be a good little servant and join the search party. He can't fault me for that. Are you coming?"

"No, I think I'll try my luck here."

"Suit yourself."

There was some shuffling and a moment later, Lucy heard footsteps exiting the tower. She smiled, imagining Levy's escape. If the librarian could evade the servants and make it back to Fairy Tail, she could send for help.

Lucy looked at the door, waiting to see what the remaining servant would do. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the door shattered. Lucy jumped back, shielding her face from the flying debris.

The man with crescent-shaped earrings who had laughed at her yesterday was standing in the doorway.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, waving her hands.

The man ignored her and grabbed a fistful of hair. "Where did your friend go?" he demanded.

Lucy stood on tiptoes, trying to ease some of the pressure on her scalp. "I—I don't know."

"Do you think you're safe just because Lord Zeref doesn't want you harmed?" He pulled her towards him and whispered in her ear. "I can think of _lots_ of things to do to you that won't leave a mark."

The window shutters began opening and closing frantically. The man looked up, startled. "Why does he use such creepy fucking magic?" he said in disgust.

While distracted, his grip had eased and Lucy managed to twist free. She tried to run past him but he grabbed her wrist.

A slow smile crept across his face. "I see you are a member of Fairy Tail."

"Wha-what?" she asked.

"The stamp on your hand," he explained.

Lucy clenched her jaw. She had forgotten about the moniker. Frustrated, she tried to pull her hand back.

He laughed. "That was easier than I thought. Thank you my dear. Now I can alert the others." He started to walk towards the door, pulling her behind him.

Desperation began to sink in. If he told the other servants that Levy was a member of Fairy Tail, they would know her desired location and would have a much better chance of catching her. Lucy had to try and stop him.

With a shout, she kicked the man's leg, causing him to stumble. He let go of her and she jumped on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck.

"Ouch! Why you little bitch—" He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her off but Lucy held on tight.

"Get off me!" The servant began moving around the room, bumping into the furniture and walls. He gasped for air.

He stopped fumbling and seemed to gather his strength. Suddenly, he bent forward and flipped her over his head. Lucy's back hit the floor, knocking the wind out of her. She struggled to breath asher attacker did the same. The two of them sounded like smokers who had just run a marathon.

Her opponent recovered more quickly. Coughing, he stood up and looked down at her. With fury in his eyes, he grabbed her collar and lifted her up.

"Don't—" Lucy choked. The shutters were flapping violently again. It seemed that they were going to come right off their hinges.

The man punched her in the side of the face and sent her flying. She hit the floor but managed to look up, disoriented from the blow. She couldn't feel any pain yet, but knew it would be coming.

He came at her again, and this time Lucy knew he wouldn't hold back. He was twice her size and her precious keys were gone. All she could do was watch in horror as he advanced.

As if in slow motion, the look in the servant's eyes changed from rage to shock. It took Lucy a moment to realize what she was seeing. A large wooden stake was sticking out of his neck and blood was spraying everywhere.

She looked around the room. No one else was there but the shutters were still banging open-and-shut. As she looked closer, she saw a piece of wood missing from one of the panels.

Zeref's curse must have somehow backfired and attacked his own servant.

She looked back at the man who was now bleeding profusely. He was on his knees gripping his neck. With a final gurgle, his hands dropped to his sides and he fell face-first to the floor.

Lucy felt his neck and found a weak pulse. He was alive but needed immediate medical care. She ripped a piece of his shirt off and wrapped it around his neck, hoping to slow the bleeding. If he was lucky, another servant would find him as soon but there wasn't much more she could do for him now.

She walked down the tower's stairs and jogged towards to castle's main exit. It appeared all the other servants had joined the search party because she didn't have any trouble. However, once she got to the gate she found that the iron portcullis was down. She tried the lever but it wouldn't budge.

As she tried to assess her options, something cold slid up her ankle. She looked down saw a thick metal chain crawling up her leg.

She tried to shake the chain off but it reacted quickly, wrapping around her ankle and lifting her off the ground.

As she dangled helplessly and upside down ten feet up in the air, a familiar silhouette came into view.

"I didn't realize Celestial Mages were such good escape artists. This is the second time you've almost managed to get away from me." Zeref crossed his arms and looked up at her.

"Actually, I count three times." Lucy swayed back and forth, letting her arms hang. The blood was rushing to her head.

"Three?" Zeref tilted his head to the side. "Let's see, there was the mad dash to the train, whatever this is…," he waved his arms at her. "Oh, you must be counting your plan to use Gemini as a decoy. I suppose that _does_ make three. Very good indeed."

He looked around the courtyard. "Tell me, do you know where all my servants are?"

Lucy didn't say anything.

"Of course. You seem to only speak when you have something rude to say." He motioned with his hand and the chain lowered her to the ground.

Lucy stood up and dusted herself off. She eyed the chain nervously. It was swaying back and forth like a cobra ready to strike.

"Do I need to restrain you?" asked Zeref.

"No."

"Good, then follow me." He began walking towards the main castle.

"Wait—there's a man who's bleeding to death in the tower. If we move quickly, you might be able to save him."

Zeref gave her a questioning look. "You tried to kill one of my servants?"

"No. A piece of the shutter flew off and hit him in the neck."

"Ah, he must have been trying to hurt you."

"Yeah, well he was successful." Lucy touched her cheekbone. It was starting to swell.

Zeref turned and started walking towards the main castle again.

"Wait," said Lucy. "Don't you want to help your servant?"

"No."

"Why not? He's your servant and he needs help."

"Well, he's not doing a very good job serving me, now is he? Besides, I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

Lucy sighed in disgust. "He was still alive when I left. If you help him, he could explain where all your other servants are."

Zeref looked up at the tower and then back out the main castle. Lucy suspected that he was calculating walking distances. "Fine, we'll go speak to my servant." He looked at her. "Why do you look happy?"

"I'm not. I'm just glad we're going. I felt kind of bad about leaving the guy like that."

Zeref shook his head. "Any slight amount of respect I might have had for you is now gone. Come on, let's go."

A few minutes later, they reached the tower's bedroom where Azuma was lying face down in a pool of blood. Lucy knelt down beside him. "Azuma, can you hear me?"

Nothing happened. Zeref rolled his eyes. "Now we have to go _all_ the way back down the stairs and wait for the others to return."

"Give me a minute, will you?" She shook Azuma's shoulder. "Azuma, are you alive?"

He turned his head slightly.

"There! You see that? He's alive." She pointed enthusiastically. "Now just use your healing spell."

Zeref sighed and knelt beside him. "Sana."

Instantly, Azuma began to stir. With some effort, he was able to sit up and speak.

"Master Zeref, you saved me." His voice carried a touch of awe.

 _If these servants only knew how much their master truly cared, they might be a little less willing to do his dirty work._

"What's happened here? Where are all the servants?" asked Zeref.

Azuma's smile faltered. "The blue haired woman has escaped. The other servants are looking for her." He glanced at Lucy. "I was questioning this one when she attacked me."

Zeref looked irritated. "She's a Celestial Spirit Mage without any Celestial Spirits. How much of a threat could she possibly be?"

Azuma fell forward, pressing his hands and forehead to the ground. "I'm sorry Master. Please forgive me."

Zeref sighed and shook his head. "I should kill you for your incompetence. The only reason my spell would have hurt you was if this woman's life was in danger. I thought I made it clear to everyone that she wasn't to be harmed."

"I'm sorry. I was trying to get answers and got carried away." The servant lifted his head and banged it against the floor.

Zeref put his hand on Lucy's shoulder and began to push her towards the door. "This is inconvenient but we can adjust." He looked back at Azuma. "Get up and call off the search."

"Are you sure Master?"

"Yes. If I need another bargaining chip, I suspect I will have my pick of the entire Guild within a few days. In the meantime, I think I'll try another strategy."

He gave Lucy another small push and she stumbled out of the room. When they were out of the tower, he turned to her. "I'm starving. Have you eaten breakfast?"

Lucy looked at him suspiciously. "I'm not hungry." Her stomach rumbled and the corner of Zeref's mouth twitched.

"You don't have a choice. Besides, if you go along with my plan, perhaps no one has to die."

She held her stomach, angry at its betrayal. "Is that a promise?"

"I can't promise that no one will die but it is a _possibility_."

"Well, I guess it's worth hearing. Breakfast it is."

 _*bigdream3r – thank you for the reviews. So, I started this story 3 or 4 years ago. Then I got pregnant and had my little girl and didn't write for 2 years so a lot of this is based on an older storyline. I hope this doesn't bother my readers._

 _Next chapter will be posted next Monday. If there is anyone who would be willing to beta this story, please PM me and I will send you the rest of the story. I'd like to thank catwho again for feedback she has provided me but I love feedback and the more the better!_


	10. Chapter 10

Watching Zeref in the kitchen was like watching a slow-moving train wreck. All the cabinet doors were open and various kitchen utensils were sprawled out on the counter.

"I'm not used to all these modern appliances. A simple campfire has gotten me through the last four centuries just fine." He pulled out a flour sifter and began spinning the handle. "What the hell is this for?"

Lucy took the sifter from him and set it on the counter. "Would you like for me to make you something?" Anything was better than listening to the fusspot gripe. Besides, if he was serious about not-killing-anyone, she was willing to try a less hostile approach.

"Yes thank you." He sat down at the kitchen table. "I would typically have my servants make us something but they are all indisposed of for awhile—unless the one you almost killed can cook. What did you say his name was?"

Lucy cleared a blender and an ice cream maker off the stovetop.

"Azuma."

"Ah."

Lucy went to the refrigerator and opened it. It was fully stocked with all the basics.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Kain usually makes me a muffin with a slice of cured pork, and egg covered in a butter sauce. It's quite delicious."

Lucy sighed. "That sounds like Eggs Benedict."

"Yes, I'll have Eggs Benedict." He patted the surface of the table for extra emphasis.

Of course he had to pick something complicated. Lucy rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out the butter, eggs, pork and some lemon juice. She turned on the stovetop and started heating the pan.

"Are you happy that your friend escaped?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. You were going to torture her."

"Only as much as was necessary." He leaned back in his chair. "I probably wouldn't have had to torture her much. You are overly sentimental."

"Am not. You're just overly cruel."

"You were concerned about the life of one of my servants, your enemy."

She shrugged. "I suppose." She put the butter in the pan and began moving it with the spatula. Next, she filled a pot with water and put it on the stove.

Zeref was sitting comfortably, not bothering to offer any help. "Aren't you worried that your friends are going to die trying to save you?"

If she was honest, she was. Defeating an immortal-being might not be possible, even for Fairy Tail. Still, they always seemed to find a way when it truly mattered. "I have faith in them," she said without looking up.

Zeref picked up the toaster and began examining it. "Believe it or not, I would prefer to accomplish my goals with as little bloodshed as possible."

She poured the melted butter into a bowl to cool. "Then how about you just let me go?"

" _That_ is out of the question." He pressed the toaster button down and seemed disappointed when nothing happened. "But perhaps you would be willing to help me if we had similar goals." He raised an expectant eyebrow at her.

"You and I have similar goals?" The water was now boiling so she added a couple drops of vinegar to help keep the yolk from spreading. It was her little secret for a good pouched egg.

"Perhaps."

"And what would those goals be?"

He looked around the room, as if he were checking for spies. He leaned forward and motioned for her to come closer.

Lucy checked the stove. Everything would be okay for another minute or two. She went to the kitchen table and leaned in.

"To kill Acnologia," he whispered.

The toaster popped and Lucy jumped. Zeref was watching her closely.

"Why do you want to kill Acnologia?" she whispered back. She wasn't sure why they were being quite.

Zeref sat back up. " _That_ is a long tale."

"Well, I'm willing to listen. And for what it's worth, I am in full agreement that the world would be a better place without the Dragon King in it."

A grim expression had crossed Zeref's face. "I'm glad you're open to the idea. I suppose I'll tell you my story then."

Lucy assembled two plates of Eggs Benedict, and then poured herself and Zeref some orange juice. After she brought everything to the table, she hesitantly took a seat across from her captor.

"Before I begin, you should understand that the things I am about to tell you are for your ears alone. I'd prefer if you didn't mention any of this to the servants," he said.

Lucy gave him a questioning look. "Why not?"

Zeref took a tentative bite of the meal and swallowed. "I make it a habit to disseminate as little information about myself as possible. I've made many enemies." He pointed at the eggs with his fork. "This is excellent by the way. It may even be better than Kaine's."

She tried the eggs. Zeref was right, they were delicious. "You think some of your servants may be out to harm you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's possible. It has certainly happened before."

"And you trust me to keep this information to myself?"

He took a sip of orange juice. "That would be my preference. Remember, I told you that I had a plan where no one _had_ to die. I haven't promised that no one _will_ die. Keep that in mind if you decide to get your little friends involved."

Lucy swallowed hard and felt a bite of muffin slide down her throat. She had forgotten to chew.

"So, are we clear on the ground rules?" he asked.

"Crystal."

"Very well." He sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"This story begins more than 400 years ago in the year X360. I was a child no older than eight years. I lived with my parents who were wheat farmers and my brother, Aaron who was two years my junior."

Lucy's mind briefly flashed to the name carved in the wall of the cabin. Finding out Zeref had a brother named Aaron now confirmed that they had been sifting through Zeref's memories.

"One day, my brother and I were home when we heard screams coming from the fields. We ran outside where our parents had been working but we were too late. A dragon was in the field attacking our parents."

He clutched the napkin in his hand. "When the dragon saw us, he dropped my father's body and began walking towards us. As he approached, he laughed and joked that desert had just arrived. He had almost reached us when another dragon dove from the air and struck him from the side."

"As the two dragons fought, my brother and I hid in the wheat field. Eventually the attacking dragon gave up and flew away."

Lucy watched Zeref. For the most part, he was as emotionless as usual, but there were moments when he would look particularly pained by a memory and his eyes would flash red.

"That day… everything changed. We lost our parents and we had no one we could turn to."

"The dragon who had saved us was a fighter in the Great Dragon War. You see, the war was predominantly fought between two factions of dragons—those who wanted to annihilate the human race and those who wanted to co-exist with it."

"Why did the dragons want to kill humans?" Lucy asked.

"Humans were known to kill the occasional dragon who was either too young or too old to defend itself so the two species had bad blood between them for centuries but I think it really came down to competition of resources— most dragons feared that humans reproduced too quickly and were spreading across the land. They saw a future where they couldn't hunt game or find caves for shelter."

"I see," said Lucy.

"Humans tried to fight the dragons but their magic and weapons were largely ineffective—so a new strategy formed."

He paused, and Lucy understood what he was going to say next. "Dragon slayers," she whispered.

"Yes," agreed Zeref. "The dragon that saved us took us in and trained my brother and me to become the first dragon slayers."

Lucy sat up straight as she remembered something. "Is that why you derailed the train instead of hopping onboard? Do you get motion sickness?"

Zeref glared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Anyways, my brother and I became dragon slayers. We joined the war when we had completed our training at the ages of 18 and 16. By the time I was 21, I had already become a general in the human army."

Lucy detected a note of pride in his voice so she tried to look impressed.

"My brother was my second in command. Between the two of us we killed dozens of dragons. We also developed strategies that made better use of human skills. For example we taught the human army to start fires near a battle to confuse the dragon's sense of smell and sight."

"Despite our best efforts, we were still losing the war. And things became even more desperate after the battle of Crocus. At that battle, both sides suffered heavy causalities but ours were crippling. We lost one hundred sixty-three dragons, nearly a third of our dragon forces."

"As my brother and I walked around the battlefield, searching for survivors, we felt the weight of the war bearing down on us—we felt certain that humanity was on the brink of extinction."

"What did you do?" Lucy asked. Her breakfast was beginning to get cold but she didn't care.

"We cast a spell so powerful and so evil, that it changed the course of the world forever."

He leaned closer, "We created Acnologia."

Lucy's jaw dropped. There had been many theories swirling about a possible link between Acnologia and Zeref but to hear it said from the man himself sent chills down her spine. Historians would have given a limb to try to get the information she was hearing now.

"How did you create the Dragon King?"

He smiled. "Ah, and this is the part of the story that is particularly important for you. You see, there are four things that are necessary to create a Dragon King—". He held up his fingers to count them off. "The first, is the blood of a hundred dragons. We were able to gather the blood we needed from the corpses scattering the battlefield that day."

"The second is dragon slayer who is willing to cast the spell." He pointed to himself.

"The third is a dragon slayer who is willing to become a Dragon King."

"Woah, woah, woah," interrupted Lucy. "You mean a dragon slayer can become an actual dragon?"

"Yes."

She thought about it. "So Ancologia is… your brother?" She stared at him.

"He _was_ my brother. When we first cast the spell, it seemed that my brother would be able to handle the new magic. He did everything he was supposed to—he only killed dragons that were on the other side of the war and he even changed back into his human form when he wasn't fighting. However, he soon started spending more and more time in his dragon form and soon, dragon's from our forces started disappearing. Our conversations became increasingly argumentative. I could tell he was going mad."

He looked down at his plate. "I blame myself for what has happened. I should have been the one to become a Dragon King. My brother was already in a fragile state when we cast the spell. His wife and unborn child had been killed just a few weeks prior to the transformation. I think he used his new form to escape humanity."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Lucy tried to take all the new information in. She had never considered that Acnologia may have once been human.

"Don't be sorry. These are the mistakes of my past and I am now trying to fix them. Which brings us to the fourth item. It is a charm of sorts. All dragons are believed to be the descendants of the first dragon, Brotan. He was considered more powerful than any other dragon. The First, as he is often referred to, died more than a thousand years ago but his spirit can still be summoned with a necklace that was made from his bones and scales."

Lucy felt a trill of fear. "You want me to summon a dragon?"

"No."

"Oh."

"I want you to open Eclipse so I can travel back in time and retrieve the summoning object. It was lost when Acnologia was born. If I get that necklace, I may be able to reverse the spell that gave Acnologia his power."

She shook her head. "No way, it's too risky. How do I know you won't try to kill your brother before he turns into Acnologia? That would cause a significant change in the world. What if things get worse? What if I'm not even be born?"

He nodded. "You are right to be concerned; changing the past can have serious consequences. Acnologia is evil, but if it wasn't for his existence, the human race may not even exist. He has killed hundreds of dragons and effectively ending the war." He stared at her. "You have my word that I won't try to change the past. I will be in and out before anyone is the wiser."

She looked at him doubtfully.

"There's something else," he added. "It may not even be possible to make significant changes to the past."

"Why's that?"

"There are stories about certain mechanisms in place to protect the consistency of time. It is hard to sort out what may be real or what may be fiction. I don't intend to test those theories regardless."

Lucy thought about it. "Isn't there a more simple way to kill Acnologia? Have you ever tried fighting him? I mean—you're supposed to be the most powerful mage in the entire world…"

"Of course I've tried fighting him, but it's completely useless. Whenever I try to engage in direct combat, I black out. When I come to, he's gone and I have no recollection of what happened."

"Why would that happen?" she asked.

Zeref pushed his plate away. "When I cast the spell that created Acnologia, our lives became linked—if he died, I would perish and vice versa. When he learned of this connection, he cast an immortality spell on me. I've tried killing myself hundreds of times but each time, I lose consciousness and my body goes into some sort of survival mode. Worse, if others try to kill me, the same thing happens and they are often killed."

"So, you've tried killing yourself to stop Acnologia?" asked Lucy.

"Yes."

"But if this plan works, you'll be able to undo the spell that created Acnologia so you two won't be linked anymore, right?"

"Yes."

"What would you do to your brother if he was human again?" she asked.

"That doesn't concern you. Whether I kill him or let him live doesn't matter. He won't be a significant threat as a human."

Lucy considered the new information. There was a lot of it. "Let's say I agree to help you… how can I trust you?"

He shrugged. "To be honest, I wasn't really planning on securing your trust—I was just going to torture your friend if you didn't comply." He scratched his chin. "Am I going to have to go with plan A?"

Lucy considered his story. For some reason, Lucy _did_ trust him—mostly because he didn't seem to have a reason to lie. Plus, if she was working alongside him, perhaps she could keep an eye on him.

"Take me with you," she said.

"What?" Zeref looked at her blankly.

"I'll do it, on two conditions. One— you take me with you to ancient Crocus and two—you release me when we get back."

Zeref thought for a moment. "Very well. I can accept your terms."

She held out her hand. "You have a deal."


	11. Chapter 11

After breakfast, Lucy went back to her tower. Apparently Zeref now trusted her enough that she didn't need to be guarded. He had even returned her celestial keys.

As she walked, she thought back to last year's Grand Magic games. A madman had kidnapped her and another Celestial mage named Yukino. He believed that if a single mage took control of all 12 Golden Zodiac keys, they would have the ability to open a gateway through time—Eclipse. There had been a battle to stop him but Yukino was unfortunately killed in the crossfire.

After Yukino's death, two keys had mysteriously appeared on Lucy's key ring. The keys had remained there untouched. Part of her was nervous about holding all 12 keys, but mostly she wanted to let the two spirits have time to grieve their previous summoner.

Now, in order for her to summon Eclipse, Lucy would need to make contracts with those two remaining Celestial Spirits—Pisces and Libra.

She sat on her bed and stared at her keys. What she really needed was a friend to confide in. She picked up a familiar key and summoned its Spirit.

With a soft puff of smoke, Loke appeared next to her.

"Lucy, I'm so glad your okay. That mage you were fighting was—"

"Zeref," she finished.

Loke's eyes widened. "I was going to say incredibly strong."

"That too."

"Did you get away?" he asked.

"No, but escape isn't the plan right now." She filled him in on everything that had happened and her conversation with Zeref.

Loke listened. When she had finished talking, he let out a low whistle. "Damn Luce—this is serious."

"I know."

He smiled. "It's good that you insisted on going to ancient Crocus with him though."

"Really? Why?"

Loke looked around the room. "Zeref's magic can make ordinary items come alive. These walls might be listening."

She looked around nervously. "You might be right. I have an idea."

She pulled out one of her silver keys.

"Open Gate of the Clock," she said.

The grandfather clock Horologium appeared. "Good afternoon Ms. Heartfillia."

"Hello Horologium. Can we step inside you for a moment?"

"Certainly." He opened his door and Lucy and Loke squeezed inside.

The door swung shut and Loke's body was squashed firmly against Lucy's.

"If you wanted to get close to me, all you had to do was ask," said Loke.

"Cut it out. Didn't you want to tell me something?"

"Hmmmm? Oh yeah." Loke's chin was brushing the top of her head. Lucy wasn't certain, but he might have just smelled her hair.

"Not many people know this, but Eclipse has built-in safety measures. The mage who created it wanted to ensure that it was only used for observing history, not making significant changes. Significant changes would anger the Fates."

"I've never heard of the Fates. Who are they?"

"Some consider them the guardians of this realm. They are very powerful but almost never show themselves." He brushed his hand across her cheek. "Can I kiss you?"

"No—If the Fates are guardians, why don't they stop evil beings like Zeref or Acnologia?"

"The Fates aren't really good and they aren't really bad. They don't pick sides—they only enforce certain laws, like the consistency of time or death."

"What happens if someone breaks one of those laws?" Lucy thought about Zeref's presumed immortality.

He shrugged. "I don't really know. The most common theory is that they will try to restore history to its natural course. For example, if two lovers are supposed to meet and they somehow miss each other, then another opportunity will present itself."

"What if thousands of people who were supposed to die are somehow saved?"

"Then the Fates would find a way to kill them."

"Do you think Zeref believes in the Fates?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, from what you described, it sounds like he's trying to avoid major historical changes."

She nodded. "I think so too. So, what are the safety measures in Eclipse?"

"Hmmmm" Loke shifted. "You know, it is incredibly hard to concentrate with you against me like this."

"Try."

He cleared his throat. "Well, first of all, anyone who passes through Eclipse will appear differently to those around them. It's meant to help reduce the chances of people recognizing themselves."

"Makes sense if you want to avoid changing the course of history," she said.

He nodded. "The second is that anyone who passes through Eclipse will temporarily loose their ability to wield magic. The mage who created Eclipse believed that limiting a person's magic would help protect the world from major deviations. It also prevents a user from making multiple time-hops which is highly unstable."

"Wait, does Zeref know that he's going to lose his magic?"

"Most likely not." Loke stopped touching her hair. "Eclipse hasn't been summoned for at least 500 years so it was before Zeref's time. His information is probably based on ancient writings and there aren't many of those available. If you open Eclipse and Zeref passes through it, he will be mortal."

Lucy took a deep breath.

Loke was watching her closely, nodding. "I can see you understand what this means—this is a chance to kill Zeref. If you bring a weapon with you, you'll have the upper hand in a combat situation. Plus, I don't think he would be expecting you to try anything. He's been immortal for so many years that his self-defense instincts probably don't even function anymore."

Lucy swallowed hard. "If I fail, he'll kill me. Also, I've never killed anybody before."

"I know," said Loke. He gave her a sad look. "If I could kill him for you I would, but you won't be able to summon me once you've passed through Eclipse. Still, it is an opportunity you can't easily pass up."

He was right. She had a chance to destroy one of the two great evils in the world. The question was which one would she chose?

"I'll think about," she said. "Is there anything else? I want to get out of here, it's getting hot."

Loke smiled. "There's a joke in there somewhere but I'll give you a break."

She rolled her eyes and opened the clock's door. Fresh air greeted her and she thanked Horologium. He bowed and disappeared with a slight puff of smoke.

She sat on the bed, and slouched.

"Aw Luce—come on." Loke sat next to her. "Don't be so sad, it bums me out. Look, you're about to gain two new Spirits."

"That's right. "What will happen when I make a contract with the twelfth?"

He gave her a sly smile. "You'll see." He stood up. "I should get going. It's nice to have some privacy with your spirits the first time you meet."

She nodded. "Ok. Wish me luck."

"Good luck." He winked and then he was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

Signing contracts with Celestial Spirits was usually a boring, albeit important task. After Loke had left, Lucy had summoned Pisces into her bedroom. Pisces was similar to Gemini in that the Spirit was two beings, a mother and son; together, they made up a single Celestial Spirit. Pisces was a strong fighter and whenever the Spirit touched water, the mother and son transformed into two giant fish. Lucy was already planning combination attacks with Aquarius. They ironed out the details of their contract in about two hours.

Next was Libra, the Celestial Spirit of the Heavenly scales. Libra could distort her opponent's weight, making it difficult for them to move. She also preferred to not be summoned on Tuesdays and Thursdays because she taught belly dancing lessons.

Lucy took copious notes. She tried her best to keep track of her Spirit's preferences and included addendums to the contracts so everybody felt a fair deal had been made. When she had finished writing the contract, she handed it tentatively to Libra.

"Here you go," said Lucy. "Look it over and let me know if you have any comments or questions."

Libra's eyes scanned the pages. "I have to say, I've been waiting a long time to work with the great Lucy Heartfilla. You've been holding onto my key and Pisces's for over a year now.

Lucy blushed at the compliment. "I know. I wanted to be respectful of Yukino's death. I'm sorry for your loss." She touched Libra's arm.

Libra smiled. "Thank you. Pisces and I do miss her." She signed her name to the contract and handed it back to Lucy. "You're signature is all that is needed now. You're about to find out what happens when a single mage acquires all twelve Celestial Zodiac Keys."

"Should I be scared?"

"Nah." She stepped back. "I haven't seen this happen in over 500 years though. It's kind of exciting."

Lucy looked down at the contract in her hand and read the last line.

 _I promise to keep to the terms written in this document to the best of my ability._

With a trembling hand, Lucy signed the document.

As soon has her hand finished the last loop in her signature, a large circle of light appeared by her side. It was similar to the ones that appeared when she summoned spirits but this one didn't immediately vanish.

She looked down and saw that the keys tied to her belt were being pulled towards the circle.

"Do I put my keys in the circle of light?" she asked Libra.

Libra chuckled. "Yes. Isn't it obvious?"

Lucy unfastened her keys and held them up to the light. It was good that Libra was there and seemed confident about the situation because she was nervous as hell.

When the keys touched the center of the circle, they were instantly pulled from her hand. The circle flew above her and then surrounded her. The key ring broke and the twelve keys each took a place in the circle. Suddenly, everything was bathed in light and had to shield her eyes.

Just as quickly as the light had appeared, it disappeared.

Hesitantly, Lucy dropped one arm, and then the other. The twelve keys were still floating in a circle around her. Above her, another glowing sphere of light had appeared. It seemed to gently pulse.

She stood up and peered into the orb. A key encrusted with jewels was floating there.

With great care, Lucy reached into the sphere and took the key. The light immediately disappeared and she was left holding the talisman.

It was heavy in her hand and covered with precious stones of every color. She would need to find a safe way to carry it so that it wouldn't attract thieves—perhaps a long necklace that she could hide beneath a shirt.

She turned her attention back to her twelve Zodiac keys floating around her. The crests on each key were glowing with white light. She walked to the Gate of the Water Bearer and took the key. The light continued to glow.

 _My keys have changed somehow._

She looked over at Libra who was smiling. She didn't _look_ any different.

"The keys are glowing," said Lucy.

"Yes." Her grin widened.

"Are you—different now?"

Libra stood up straight. With a flick of her wrist, one of the cobblestones from the wall broke free, flew out the window and disappeared into the forest outside the castle's walls. A moment later and line of trees came crashing down.

"All twelve of your Celestial Spirits just got a major upgrade."

Lucy smiled. "Awesome. I love upgrades." She held Eclipse in her hand. "How does this work?"

"It's similar to your other keys. Just hold the key and use your magical power to summon the Gate—it often helps to focus your energy to use a phrase but it isn't necessary. Once you do that, a door will appear. You will need to say the location, date and time you wish to travel to and then put the key in the lock. Once you walk through, you will be transported back in time."

"Sounds easy enough. How do I get back?"

"Simply walk back through the door—it will be invisible except to those who walked through it and it will stay open until they return or die."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at her. "Die?"

"Well, I'm sure that won't happen," added Libra.

Lucy thanked Libra and bid her farewell. The spirit made an elegant twirl and disappeared back to the Spirit world.

As Lucy collected the last of her keys from the circle, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Zeref entered. "I saw a beam of light. I take it you obtained Eclipse?"

The keys were behind Lucy's back. She had instinctively hidden them when the door opened.

"Yes."

He watched her for a moment and Lucy silently prayed that he wouldn't force her to give up her keys again.

"Very well," he said. "We will open the Gate first thing tomorrow morning."

"So soon?"

"Yes. You want to have this issue resolved before you friends come storming my castle, don't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose it would be good to avoid that situation."

"Then we are in agreement." He flashed her a smile that made her cringe. "Since we are getting along so splendidly, I'd like to invite you to join me for dinner tonight. We can go over some of the finer details of our plan."

"Okay… What time?"

"Seven." He turned and began walking away. "Don't be late."


	13. Chapter 13

Lucy arrived to dinner at precisely 6:58pm. After some internal debate she had decided to dress in a green velvet dress that she found in the wardrobe of her bedroom. It seemed a little dressy for dinner but her previous outfit was filthy. There were no accessories to go with the outfit unless you counted her newly-formed black eye. Azuma had done a real number of her face that morning.

Zeref was already sitting at the formal table and he stood when she arrived. His eyes followed her as she entered the room.

"Where did you find that dress?"

"It was in my wardrobe," she said as she smoothed out the fabric.

"Ah, It must have belonged to the wife of the previous owner," he said thoughtfully.

Lucy paled. "The one you killed?"

"Relax, I only killed her husband. The wife and child ran away."

Zeref held her chair out for her.

"Since you are playing the part of a lady— one that looks like she was just in a bar fight but a lady none-the-less— I suppose I will be a gentleman."

Lucy ignored him and took her seat.

He rang a little bell and servants began entering the room with trays of food. There was lentil soup, salad, bread, roasted pork, applesauce, green beans, mashed potatoes and carrot cake. It was enough to feed a small army.

"I hope you don't mind—I'm having the servants bring out all the courses at once. I don't want to be disturbed while we're talking."

She looked around at the table. Steam was rising from several of the dishes. Everything looked delicious.

"No, that's fine," she said.

Zeref waited until the servants were gone before he spoke again. "Speaking of clothing, I've selected your outfit for tomorrow so that you can blend in with the era. You would have been accused of witchcraft or prostitution if you showed up in my time wearing your usual attire."

Lucy stabbed the salad with her fork and shoved a large bite into her mouth. She would have liked to tell Zeref where he could shove it but settled for chewing instead.

He continued. "I also plan to alter our appearances with a spell once we arrive in the past. It will reduce the risk of me accidently seeing myself or you."

Lucy choked on her salad and had to take a sip of water. The fact that Zeref was planning to alter their appearances confirmed Loke's theory—Zeref didn't know everything about Eclipse.

"Are you okay?" Zeref asked, watching her closely.

"Yeah, sorry," she croaked. "Something went down the wrong pipe."

He waited another minute for her to regain her composure. "I'd also like go over our plan for the retrieval of the necklace. Hopefully, we will arrive immediately after the battle of Crocus so we'll miss the most dangerous events, however— there will still be injured people, dragons and a few looters. You'll probably be overwhelmed. Just stick next to me and let me do any talking if it's necessary."

Lucy nodded and kept eating.

"We will pretend to be villagers who didn't evacuate in time. To avoid involvement, we'll want to stay away from the main battlefield until Acnologia's transformation. There was a small grist mill that was on the edge of the forest. It wasn't destroyed during the battle, so we should wait there. Once we see Acnologia rise into the sky, we'll want to move quickly towards his liftoff location. That is where I dropped Brotan's necklace."

Zeref looked at Lucy to make sure she was still following him. "Now, this part is important—we will only have about an hour to get the necklace because enemy dragons will return and try to kill Acnologia. Half of the battlefield will be scorched soon after, including the area where I dropped the necklace. If we are too late, the necklace will be destroyed."

"Got it." Lucy cut herself a piece of the roasted pork, eyeing the large carving knife by its side. It would be perfect to bring back in time with her.

They ate quietly for a few minutes as she searched for a new topic to break the silence. "I'll have to ask my spirits if they know Brotan."

Zeref finished chewing. "That isn't likely unless they met him while he was living. Brotan is more like a ghost than a Spirit. He doesn't exist in the same realm as your spirits."

"Interesting—I didn't know there were different Spirit realms."

He gave her a quizzical look. "How is it possible that you've managed to gather all twelve Zodiac Keys and yet you know next to nothing about Celestial Spirits?"

"I wouldn't say I know next to nothing…"

"I would. It sounds like you haven't even visited the _Celestial Spirit_ section of your local library. There's tons of research available, although half of it _is_ conjecture. It's a popular research topic because mortals are so fascinated with the afterlife."

"That's a little unfair, don't you think? I mean, you're immortal right? You shouldn't pass judgement on people who are afraid of death."

He didn't say anything.

Lucy hesitated. "Do you want to die?" The question had been nagging her ever since she had found out that Zeref had tried to kill himself.

He played with his mashed potatoes. "There have been days where I longed for death; However, I won't throw my life away for nothing. Although I have survived for centuries, there are still some things I would like to experience."

He picked up one of the small plates with cake and tried a bite. "But, you don't really need to know all this to complete the mission, do you?"

"No, I suppose I don't.".

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Zeref had already finished his cake and was watching her eat hers, occasionally tapping his fingers on the table. When she had finished the last bite, he stood up.

Lucy reached for another piece of cake and Zeref sighed heavily. "For goodness sake woman—it's just cake. You're savoring it like you've never had it before."

"I _really_ like carrot cake." She swirled the icing with her fork. "And you can tell this is homemade crème, not the stuff that comes from a container."

"Well, I'd like to retire for the night. Ring the bell once you're done and the servants will clean up."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night." Zeref turned and left the room.

Once he was gone, Lucy took two more bites of carrot cake and looked around. When she was certain she was alone, she grabbed the carving knife and slid it beneath her skirt, securing it with her garter. She was ready for tomorrow.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, Lucy heard a loud knock on her bedroom door. Silently, she prayed it was anyone but Azuma.

She was in luck. When she opened the door, there was only a folded pile of clothes, a pair of brown boots and a tray with breakfast on it.

She ate and dressed quickly, making sure that the carving knife was concealed within the length of her boot. The clothes Zeref had picked out for her consisted of a linen peasants blouse and a pair of pants so ugly, the term _britches_ came to mind. The one good thing about them was that they had deep pockets with a button so she could keep her keys there. She also found some thick string which she used to secure Eclipse around her neck. It would be the only key she used for this mission so she wanted to have it ready. She checked herself briefly in the mirror and then made her way to the courtyard.

Zeref was already standing there when she arrived.

"Where are all your servants?" she asked as she looked around. Aside from the time immediately following Levy's escape, there had always been a couple guards patrolling the courtyard.

"I've asked them to vacate the premises and not return until nightfall. I prefer privacy for this matter." He wrung his hands together. It may have been Lucy's imagination, but he seemed nervous. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I think so." Lucy pulled out her bejeweled key and looked at if for a moment, gathering her nerve. She glanced at Zeref and wished Natsu were standing next to her instead. A friendly smile would have gone a long way in calming her anxiety.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, I'm ready."

He nodded and stepped back.

She stretched her arm up towards the sky. "Open, Gate of Eclipse!"

A rectangle of light formed and an instant later, a wooden door was standing in front of her.

She relaxed a little. Libra had been right—it had felt just like summoning a Spirit. She turned towards Zeref. "Can you please tell me the time, date and location of today's destination?"

He face was stone serious. "2pm on July 2nd of the year X391, the South end of the battlefield in Crocus, Fiore."

Lucy repeated the time, date and location. There was no visible signal that the command had worked but Lucy felt a deep draw on her magical power when she repeated the words.

"Okay, let's see if this door works," she said nervously.

She put the key in the lock and turned it. There was a small click and then the door swung open, revealing ancient Crocus. She and Zeref tilted their head's and peered through the doorway.

There was a large field covered with muddy footprints and debris. As her eyes adjusted, Lucy could make out about a dozen bodies lying on the ground. It was a disturbing sight, but not as many as she had expected. Past the field, there was a hill and Lucy could see the silhouette of a dragon's lifeless body against the gray sky.

"I'll be damned," Zeref whispered. "It worked."

He looked at her and cleared his throat. "The majority of the injured are on the other side of that hill. That is where my brother and I are right now." He pointed towards the side of their view. "Over there—that is the grist mill I was talking about."

Lucy looked through the doorway and saw the mill. It was a two story cobblestone building that looked like it may fall over at any moment. She estimated it to be a 10 minute hike from where they currently stood.

"Give me your hand." Zeref said.

Lucy searched his face. There was nothing there to indicate deceit or villainy.

She pushed back her fear and took his hand. As they stepped through the doorway,there was a surreal moment as one of her feet left the dusty ground of the courtyard and her other touched the thick grass of the Crocus battlefield.

"Woah."

The transition was dizzying. She looked over at Zeref who was still holding her hand. His clothes were the same, but he now had brown hair and a beard. The cloaking spell had taken effect.

"Your appearance—" started Zeref.

"Is different," she finished. "Yeah, I know—yours is too."

He let go of her hand. "Interesting—it seems that Eclipse has an automatic cloaking feature." He ran a hand through his beard, testing its texture.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said as she looked away.

He pointed to the mill. "Let's get going, shall we?"

They made their way across the field. As they walked, Lucy's eyes scanned the scenery. She was thankful for the hill that was temporarily blocking her view from the main battlefield—whatever lay one the other side was attracting vultures.

They entered the mill and found that it was mostly empty except for the mill's machinery, a stairway leading to the second floor, and the mill's water wheel. The water from the wheel splashed into a small channel.

Something red had tinted the water, creating pink foam.

It took Lucy a moment to realize that blood was mixing in with the water somewhere upstream.

Zeref went to one of the mill's windows and peered outside. He motioned to Lucy. "Come to this end. We have a view of the battlefield from here and can watch for Ancologia."

She went to an adjacent window and looked out towards the hill.

The minutes passed by and they stood without speaking. There was a woman in a skirt jogging across the field who stopped to kneel at each of the bodies that lay there. At first, Lucy thought she may have been checking for signs of life, but by the time the woman had reached the third body, she realized that the woman was mostly interested in what was in the contents of their pockets.

"Scoundrel," Lucy muttered.

"Would you feel differently if you knew that she hadn't eaten in three days and had children to feed at home?" asked Zeref.

She was about to answer when she was interrupted by loud shouts in the distance.

"I think this is it," said Zeref. "Prepare yourself."

There was a roar so loud that Lucy could feel the ground vibrating. She clasped her ears and looked out the window. There was still no sign of Acnologia. She looked over at Zeref and was surprised to see him kneeling on the ground, clutching his ears in obvious pain.

The roar stopped and Lucy turned her attention back to the hilltop.

A serpent-like head appeared, and then there were wings—wings so vast, it was as if a black blanket were being unfurled across the sky.

"Acnologia," whispered Lucy.

The beast moved his arms and the grass near the mill was instantly pushed flat. He flapped again and the window in front of Lucy shattered. She tried her best to shield herself from the broken glass but one of the shards hit her in the cheek just below the eye.

She crouched to the ground and could hear Acnologia beat his wings again. Wind was rushing overhead and dust fell from the walls. She wished they had picked a more secure location.

 _Zeref said this building was still standing after the battle. It will hold._

She looked up at Zeref. He was standing directly in front of the window staring at his bloody hand. He looked completely dumbstruck.

"Get down!" she screamed over the sound of Acnologia's beating wings.

Zeref turned towards her, blinked a couple times, and then turned back to his hand.

"Idiot, you're going to get yourself killed. Get down!" she screamed again.

If he heard her, it wasn't registering. Zeref continued to gape at his wound.

Keeping low, Lucy ran across the room and tackled him, forcing him to the ground. She was just in time, as the rest of the window Zeref had been standing next to blew in, sending another wave of broken glass through the room.

She stayed on top of him, burying her face into his shirt so that it was protected from the debris flying around the room.

There were a few more gusts of wind and then it was over. Slowly, she sat up and looked around. Through the window, she could see Acnologia flying away. His speed was incredible. She turned her attention back to the mill. There were shards of glass and leaves everywhere. She began picking some of the debris out of her hair.

Something hard slammed into her ribcage and forced her to the ground. She looked up and saw Zeref sitting on top of her. His hands were around her neck.

"You stupid bitch!" he screamed. "What have you done? My magic—you've taken away my magic!"

She tried to pry his hands off her neck but they were clasped tight. Her vision was already beginning to darken. She bent her knee and reached inside her boot, pulling the knife free.

In an instant she had the knife against Zeref's neck. His rage was so far gone, that he didn't react to the new threat and continued his assault on her throat. Lucy tilted the knife and slashed his cheek.

That got his attention.

He released his hold on her neck and pressed a hand to the wound.

She made sure to keep the knife pointed at him. They sat there for a moment, catching their breaths and eyeing each other up.

"Back up," she growled.

Slowly, Zeref stood up and backed away from her. Lucy stood also, following him with the knife. She had felt solid muscle beneath his clothes. Zeref had lost his magic but he wasn't defenseless. As a former dragon slayer, he would have been trained in hand-to-hand combat.

"There's no way you're powerful enough to cast this sort of spell. It must have been Eclipse," he said.

"If you must know, yes, you lost your magic when you passed through Eclipse."

Zeref stepped to the side, looking for an angle of attack.

"But I'm not trying to kill you," she added.

"Then why did you bring that knife? You knew I would lose my magic, didn't you? Didn't you think I would find that piece of information useful?"

She took another step to the side. "I thought you might change your mind about coming if knew you would lose your magic. And to be honest, there _was_ a moment where I considered my options."

Zeref knelt down and picked up a large piece of broken glass.

She spoke quickly. "But I was telling the truth, I don't want to kill you. If I wanted you dead, wouldn't I have done it as soon as we passed through Eclipse and your defenses were down?"

He lowered the glass shard a few inches. "Perhaps you weren't sure that Eclipse had truly removed my powers and you wanted confirm it before you attempted to assassinate me."

"I knew you were mortal when your hand was bleeding. Newsflash— I didn't kill you _and_ I had the perfect opportunity to. You were totally out of it."

Zeref's eyes flashed with anger. "I haven't felt physical pain in almost 400 years. I'm sorry if it caught me a little off guard."

She lowered her knife, drawing a look of suspicion from Zeref. "Look, you said we only have an hour to get this necklace, right? We can stand around arguing or we can do what we came here to do."

She paused and then started walking towards the door.

"Wait—"

Lucy looked back.

"Do you still have your magic?" he asked.

"No," she admitted.

"And you're just going to walk out there?"

"Yes."

Zeref stared at her.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"You don't know what it's like out there. I almost died on this battlefield once and I had the use of my dragon slayer's magic." His fist was continuously clenching and unclenching. "I'm not ready to die yet. I thought I was—but I'm not."

"Look I'm scared too, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to go out there and try my best."

He didn't move. The time was ticking down.

"You can stay here but I'm going." With that, she walked out of the mill.

Lucy stood outside the mill for a moment, waiting to see if Zeref would come out. Even if he was a jerk and a wimp, she would have preferred to have an extra body with her on the battlefield. If nothing else, Zeref at least had some idea of where to look for the damn necklace. She wasn't sure that looking in the area where she had seen Ancologia take flight from would narrow down her search enough. It now occurred to her that that area could cover a city block.

She looked back at the door. No luck—Zeref was apparently content to play it safe. She sighed and began jogging up the hill.


	15. Chapter 15

Lucy remembered a time when she was young and her mother had taken her to a pumpkin patch. It had been a good harvest and the pumpkins had grown so densely that they were practically stacked on top of each other.

The scene she was looking at now reminded her of the day— except she wasn't looking at pumpkins.

It was bodies.

Hundreds of human corpses riddled the battlefield. Every so often there was a large dragon carcass, sticking out of the field like a bale of hay among her pumpkins. Soldiers were walking around in a daze. Some tried to help the injured while others prayed for the dead.

"Damn," she whispered. She didn't have a clue where to start. Looking for a necklace in this mess seemed impossible.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

Zeref stood there, looking a bit pale. She couldn't help but smile. The wimp had finally grown a backbone.

His eyes looked past her towards the field.

At that moment, Lucy knew she had done the right thing by not killing him. Zeref wasn't a monster. The look of pain on his face was too deep to belong to a monster. A person had to have a soul to be hurt like this.

He took a step forward and stumbled. She reached out and helped him regain his balance.

"Dammit," he whispered. "I've seen this place a hundred—no, a thousand times in my dreams but it still steals the warmth from my blood to see this."

"I'm sorry," said Lucy. She didn't know what else to say. There was no comfort for what they were looking at.

"It's okay. We came here to do a job, right?" Zeref straightened himself. "The location isn't far from here, let's go."

He led them as they began making their way past the bodies. A man in torn civilian clothes who had been walking around the field grabbed Lucy. "Do you know where Cuthbert is?" he asked.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't." She looked around and saw a man in a uniform with a sash across his shoulder giving directions to soldiers.

"Why don't you ask that man over there?" she said.

The civilian let go of her arm and started walking towards the man in uniform.

What happened next, didn't seem to make sense.

A woman with matted black hair and white eyes appeared next to the lost man. She looked as if she was blind but Lucy had a feeling it wasn't much of a disability. The woman waved her hand in front of the man's face and he abruptly changed the direction he was walking. The black haired woman then turned towards Lucy.

Lucy was instantly overcome with fear. The woman made no move to threaten her but somehow, a threat had been made.

Lucy blinked and the woman was gone. The encounter was so brief, she wondered if she had hallucinated.

 _Was that one of the fates?_

"Let's keep moving," Zeref said, interrupting her thoughts. He wasn't acting like he had seen anything out of the ordinary.

They started walking again and approached the body of a dragon. "I think that one's still alive," she said. Its chest had moved slightly.

"Could be. Let's go the long way around just to be safe."

As they circled the dragon, Lucy was struck by how immense the beast was. She thought about the carving knife in her boot. It probably wouldn't even get past the beasts thick skin. She needed something bigger if she wanted to protect herself.

There was a sword lying on the ground. She picked it up.

"Good idea," said Zeref. He found another sword and did likewise. "I've never been much of a swordsman." He glanced at her. "I would have preferred my magic but I guess this will have to do."

 _Touche._

She could hear someone yelling in the direction they were heading. As they got closer, she saw that two men were arguing.

"He's going to end this war," one of the men shouted. His back was towards Lucy but she could see that he was a high ranking soldier.

"This is madness. You're brother shouldn't be trusted with that much power."

Lucy had a pretty good idea she knew who the soldier was. Sure enough, he turned and a familiar scowl was revealed.

The Zeref of X391 looked exactly like the Zeref of X791, right down to the bangs that were just a _bit_ too long and constantly had to be swept back. He was arguing with another officer and didn't notice their presence.

"Aokiji, look around you." Ancient Zeref motioned to the field around them. In his other hand, was something that glinted in the sun. "There was no other choice. If we didn't do something, we were as good as dead."

"There are always options," the officer shot back. "You should have consulted your peers. At the very least, we could have picked someone else. Your brother isn't stable right now."

"He's depressed, not unstable. For God's sake you make it sound like he should be locked up." The ancient Zeref began walking away, right towards their location. Lucy and modern Zeref pretended to be examining one of the corpses at their feet.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Aokiji ran up behind Zeref and shoved him.

Zeref turned around and punched him.

The man's head snapped back and he flew through the air at least twenty feet before he hit the ground.

"What the hell?" Ancient Zeref dropped the necklace and ran after the soldier. He knelt beside him. "Aokiji, can you hear me? Aokiji?"

As soon as Zeref was preoccupied, Lucy ran to the spot where the necklace had fallen. She bent down and wrapped her fingers around the gold chain.

"I'd like to hold onto that."

She turned around and saw modern Zeref standing next to her with his palm outstretched.

She frowned but handed over the necklace. Zeref still needed her to get back so he couldn't double cross her yet.

"Thank you." He pulled a pouch out of his pocket and put the necklace inside. "I don't want to lose this again, now do I?"

"Yeah. Well, we got the necklace, let's get out of here," she said.

"I couldn't agree more."

The two of them started walking back.

"Your story is a little different," said Lucy.

"What do you mean?" asked Zeref.

"Well, you said you dropped the necklace while you were chasing Ancologia."

Zeref pressed his lips together. "I don't want to talk about that."

She decided to drop the subject but hoped Zeref wasn't telling any other little lies.

"Have you seen Cuthbert?" Lucy looked back and saw the man who had questioned them earlier speaking to another soldier. The soldier shook his head and the man looked crestfallen.

"Poor guy," muttered Lucy.

There were shouts and the man who had been looking for Cuthbert turned around. A dragon with a broken wing was running directly at him.

"Get out of the way!" screamed Lucy.

But it was already too late. The dragon opened his toothy maw and clamped down on the upper half of the man. He lifted his head and shook back and forth a couple times, snapping the man's bones like twigs.

There were shouts all around them and a few of the soldiers nearby began sticking the beast with their swords.

"Let's get out of here." Zeref grabbed her arm and started to pull her away.

"We should help them."

"This isn't our war, remember? At least not anymore..."

He had a point. They weren't supposed to get involved—just get in, get the necklace, and get out.

The dragon spit out what was left of the man and began knocking the other soldiers away with his claws and tail. He roared and then charged towards Lucy.

Zeref pushed her aside and swiped the dragon across the nose with his sword. It must have hurt because the dragon stopped his charge and shook his head. For a man who wasn't good at swordplay, Zeref had delivered a pretty good blow.

The dragon reared back and roared again. He snapped his jaws but Zeref was able to dodge them and counter the attack.

Lucy got up and swung her sword in front of her. She had never held a sword except for a few lessons from Erza but she had the feeling she was about to learn fast.

A couple other men joined the fight. They circled the dragon, stabbing him whenever there was an opening.

As the moved, the dragon became increasingly frustrated, snapping at anything that moved. He was strong, but clearly injured. The soldiers seemed to sense his weakness and gained confidence. The frequency and boldness of their attacks increased.

Lucy managed to catch Zeref's attention and pointed at her wrist, signaling that it was time to get going. He nodded and stepped back from the fight. Another solider stumbled and bumped into him, temporarily distracting Zeref just as he was about to withdraw.

It was poor timing for at that moment, the dragon decided to unleash a final weapon—fire.

A burst of flames engulfed Zeref and he fell to the ground screaming. The dragon's flames stopped pouring out of his mouth but Zeref was still on fire. He began flailing his arms, trying to beat out the flames.

For the second time that evening, Lucy tackled him. This time she forced him to roll. The flames were quickly put out except for his hair which she beat out with her hand. He was still screaming which terrified her.

"The fire's out. You're going to be okay," she said.

Zeref turned around and Lucy felt sick. Half of his hair was gone, leaving a nasty looking bald spot but that wasn't the worse part.

The worse part was the left side of his face. Half of his cheek was charred black and it looked like part of his ear was missing.

"When we get back, you can fix that right up," she added.

Zeref didn't speak but he had stopped screaming. He was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Okay, I think you're going into shock. That's okay—I'm going to help you get through this." She reached under his right arm, which was the one that seemed less burnt, and pulled Zeref to his feet. Once up, he swayed back and forth and would have probably toppled over if she had let go.

She draped his arm over shoulder. "Can you walk?" she asked.

He didn't respond.

Tentatively, Lucy took a step. At first, Zeref didn't respond and she had to support his entire weight, but then his instincts took over and his foot stepped forward.

"Okay, that was one step. Can you do it again?"

She took another step. After a moment, Zeref's body followed suit. They continued like that for another ten paces or so before Zeref picked up a slow shuffle.

The pace was excruciatingly slow and their progress was exacerbated by the fact that they had to maneuver around dead bodies. Lucy wasn't sure how much time they had but it felt like they must have been getting close to their limit.

When they got to the hill, Lucy briefly considered rolling Zeref down it but nixed the idea. Zeref was probably in a lot of pain it would be too cruel. Instead, she went in front of him and brought both his arms over her shoulders. She held onto his arms and walked quickly down the hill. Zeref's body was essentially being dragged behind her but the hill helped her handle his weight.

The mill was at just another thirty feet from the bottom of the hill so Lucy continued to drag Zeref there. Her passenger was assisting by taking an occasional step so she knew he was still conscience. When she reached the building, she set him down against the outer wall next to the river.

Her heart was racing. She took a moment to catch her breath and took a few sips of water from the river. She looked over at Zeref. His eyes were closed. She bent down to take a few more sips of water.

"We need to get moving."

Lucy looked up. Zeref's eyes were open now. He looked rough.

"Yeah. Do you think you can walk some?"

He coughed. "Not without assistance."

There were interrupted by another voice.

"Aokiji, please forgive me. I don't know what happened. It's like my strength tripled in an instant."

"It's okay Zeref. I know you didn't mean for this to happen."

Lucy's eyes widened. Ancient Zeref and the man who he had struck were inside the mill. They must have gone ahead of them while she and Zeref were fighting the dragon.

"We _really_ need to get going," said the injured Zeref. There was a new urgency in his voice that got Lucy to her feet.

"Okay, here we go." She hoisted him up and slung his arm back over her shoulder. They began walking. he was able to help out more but they were still going slow.

"This is bad," he muttered.

"Why? I don't see the dragons yet."

He was quite for a moment. "I lied. It wasn't dragons who burnt the field at Crocus—it was me."

Her heart skipped a beat but she kept walking.

"That man… Aokiji… he was my friend. He's about to die and we don't want to be around when that happens."

He stumbled and fell to the ground. Lucy looked around and saw the shimmering outline of Eclipse. It was only a hundred yards away.

"This is going too slow," she said.

She crouched low and lifted Zeref over her back. With great effort, she stood up and began to walk.

"I can still walk. Put me down woman."

"Shut up. This is quicker and you know it." Her legs were burning. She knew she would only be able to keep this up for a short distance. It was time to use the Lucy-dig-deep button.

"You have taken the absolute last shred of my dignity. It is gone… vanquished… departed… evaporated…"

Lucy picked up the pace. It seemed that Zeref had found a new button—the Zeref-is-a-pain-in-the-ass-and-I-want-this-to-end button.

"dissolved… finished …" Zeref fell blessedly silent. It was just a bit further to the door.

"Run."

"What?" she asked.

"I said run!"

With shaky legs, Lucy picked up the pace again. She couldn't lift her legs up high enough to run but they were skimming the ground at a good clip.

"Faster!" said Zeref.

Lucy reached out and pushed the door. It opened and they stumbled through. As she was falling, she looked back in time to see a black mist covering the earth. Everything it touched was withering and turning black. The mist was so close it looked like it may follow them through the door. She had up her hands up to block her face but the door slammed shut.

"We made it," she panted. There were both lying in the dirt of the courtyard of Zeref's castle.

A green light shimmered across Zeref's body. The charred wounds disappeared, leaving clean, unmarked skin. He stood up and looked down at Lucy.

"Yes we certainly did," he said. "Now, I'd like to have a little chat about that stunt you just pulled."


	16. Chapter 16

Lucy got to her feet and backed away. "Zeref—" she started.

"I underestimated you. I thought you were nothing more than a flighty woman who had somehow stumbled upon all twelve Zodiac Keys." He took a step towards her and she stepped back. "And yet, you somehow managed to come closer to killing me than anyone else has in four centuries."

"I wasn't trying to kill you," she said.

"I should rip your throat out."

Something snapped inside of Lucy. She stopped backing away and stuck her finger in his face. "Really? Are you _really_ going to stand here and threaten me? Yes, I knew that you would lose your magic when you passed through Eclipse but I _didn't_ kill you. As a matter of fact, I went through some considerable effort to save your crispy ass. I'm probably the closest thing you have to a friend right now."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

Zeref didn't speak. Lucy would have paid good money to know what he was thinking.

"Fine," he said after a long moment.

"Fine what?"

"Fine, I'm not going to kill you."

 _Hallelujah, the man can listen to reason._

"Does that mean that I'm free to go?" she asked.

She waited.

"Yes, you are free to go."

They stood staring at each other.

"Okay, well thanks for letting me go." She waited to see if he would do something. It felt like they should hug or something—maybe a handshake? Instead, she noddedand turned around.

She walked towards the gate and exited—she kept walking, almost expecting something to stop her. Up ahead, a group of people were coming out of the forest. She grinned and started jogging.

It was her guild—the entire guild. Natsu was in front with Master Makarov close behind. Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, Gray, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Laxus, Wendy and Cana were all charging up the hill with another 70 of her closets friends right behind them. It was a small army.

"Hi guys, it's okay. I'm okay!" Lucy shouted.

She ran to Natsu first. He hugged her. "What happened? How did you escape?" He was looking up towards the castle and Lucy followed his gaze.

Zeref was standing there, watching them. He stood another moment and then turned to walk back into his castle.

Lucy relaxed and looked at her friend. "Man, am I happy to see you guys!"

After they finished greeting one another, the group hiked back to the train station and took the first available train back to Magnolia. To say that it was a boisterous train ride would have been an understatement. Laxus got motion sickness but was too proud to be seen by anyone so he had locked himself off in a sleeper car. This then prompted teasing from Cana who had found the train's minibar. Evergreen, Bixlow and Freed had then tried to defend their leader but Cana was too drunk to be reasoned with. Happy flew up and down the aisles, occasionally taking a bite of fish from other passenger's meals when they weren't looking.

It was chaos.

Lucy filled Makarov in on what had happened but decided to be vague with the other members of her guild. Zeref had made not-so-subtle threats about distributing information.

She also had the chance to hear Levy recount the story of her escape. The little librarian had waited until nightfall and then used her writing magic to create a rope ladder and climb out of the tower. She had fought two guards, scaled the castle wall and run all the way back to Fairy Tail. Zeref had been wrong to call her the 'weak one'.

It was dusk when the train finally pulled into Magnolia.

Lucy stepped off the train. "Oh no!" She smacked her forehead. "I forgot that my apartment was destroyed. I have nowhere to sleep tonight."

Natsu slid off the train and landed beside her. He swayed back and forth a few times, looking queasy. "No-no problem, you can stay with Happy and me."

She thanked him and they began walking towards his home. He was unusually quite during the trip.

"Is everything okay," she asked.

"He wants to know if you slept with Zeref," said Happy.

"Happy!" yelled Natsu.

"What? Why would you think that?" asked Lucy.

"Well, you told everyone _'I did something for Zeref and then he let me go'_ ," said Happy.

Perhaps she had been a little too vague in her recount of the events of the last three days. She sighed. "I didn't sleep with him. I helped him get a necklace so he can kill Acnologia."

Natsu's eyes widened.

"Please don't spread that around," she added. "I'm not sure what he would do if that information got out."

It was dark by the time they reached the forest outside Magnolia so Natsu used fire magic to light the way. It cast shadows around the unfamiliar landscape but Natsu and Happy didn't seem to mind. It was obvious that had made the trip hundreds of times before.

"You look scared Lucy," said Happy. "You should hold Natsu's hand."

She rolled her eyes at the Exceed. "I'm not that scared, it's just a little dark. I can't believe you guys live out here by yourselves."

"It's not that bad," said Natsu. "And on the plus side, we don't have to pay rent."

"Ah, that would be nice," sighed Lucy. "Say, how did you ever save up enough to buy a house?"

"Gildarts gave us this house," said Happy.

"Oh, I see. You guys are lucky that he looks out for you," said Lucy.

"Yeah, when we were young, we had a lot of people looking out for us," said Natsu.

They reached the little cottage and Lucy braced herself for a mess. She had followed Natsu to his home once before and been appalled by the squalor he and Happy had been living in. The only items that he had treated with any respect were those that had come from the jobs he had worked on with friends. The sentiment had touched her so deeply that she had cleaned his entire home for him. That had been more than seven years ago so she wasn't sure what to expect today.

She opened the door and took a deep breath…

 _Not too bad._

The cottage wasn't as clean as she had left it but it seemed that Natsu and Happy had made some attempt to keep things tidy. Natsu's weights were organized and there were only a couple dishes in the sink. There were a few broken potato chips on the sofa but she thought it would be a decent bed for the night. Heck, she had slept on the ground so she could manage a few crumbs.

"So I guess your options are the couch or the hammock," offered Natsu.

"Oh, I'll take the couch, I don't want put you out anymore than I already have," she said.

"It's no trouble. I wish it was as comfortable as your bed." He scratched his head. "Do you want a t-shirt and shorts to sleep in?"

"No thanks. I'll summon Virgo and get some fresh clothes from the Celestial World." She headed towards the bathroom.

Once the bathroom door was shut, Lucy summoned Virgo and was given a long white gown with lace along the sleeves and trim. It was simple but beautiful. She was also given a set of toiletries so she could wash up before bed. Virgo wished her goodnight and disappeared.

Lucy winced as she looked in the mirror. Her black eye was dark purple and the lid was so swollen it was half closed. Also beginning to show, were blue marks around her neck from where Zeref had strangled her.

There was a knock on the door. "Hey Luce, I was checking that you had everything you needed. Do you need any towels or anything?"

"No, I'm okay. Hey Natsu, could you come in here a second?"

The door opened and Natsu poked his head inside.

"Do you think it's worthwhile to put ice on this? It's more than 24 hours old." Lucy pointed towards her eye.

She watched Natsu's expression in the mirror. Something about the way he was looking at her made her feel self-conscious.

"It couldn't hurt," he said after examining the bruise for a minute. "I'll go get some ice."

He left and came back with some ice wrapped in a dishcloth. "Here," he said, handing her the ice. "Do 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off."

She sat on the sofa and Happy flew over with a blanket in his hands. He draped it over her lap. "You always look so _pretty_ Lucy. Even when you're all black and blue."

"Aw, thanks Happy." She settled into the sofa and began applying the cold cloth to her eye.

Natsu went into the bathroom and re-appeared a moment later wearing nothing but shorts. He walked across the floor in his bare feet and got into his hammock.

"Let's stop by your apartment tomorrow morning," he said before turning off the light. "I have something I want to show you."


	17. Chapter 17

"You're a life saver!" exclaimed Lucy. She grabbed Natsu and hugged him tightly.

Natsu, Lucy and Happy were all standing outside her apartment where piles of brick and lumber were stacked along the street. She watched as a few contractors carried materials up to the third floor of her building.

"Ah, it was nothing, really," said Natsu. He scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I tried to follow your scent after you were kidnapped but I lost the trail so I came back here to look for clues. Your landlady was already here so I talked to her. It turns out that she got really good insurance when she found out a Fairy Tail mage was renting from her. I just paid the deductible and she said she would take care of the rest."

Lucy couldn't believe her good luck. She had survived sleeping on Natsu's sofa the night before but he had been right—it definitely wasn't as comfortable as her own bed.

"How much was the deductible?" she asked a little nervously.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "It wasn't much, so don't worry about it. You can buy me lunch sometime."

"Did the landlady say when the repairs would be done?" she asked.

"About a week. Of course, you can stay with Happy and me until it's ready."

She nodded. Another week was doable. "How about I buy you and Happy lunch right now?" She pointed to a small café that was right across the street.

"That sounds perfect, I'm starving."

"Happy wants fish!" The Exceed flapped his wings and flew around Lucy's head.

They went into the café and sat at a table. She picked up a menu and began browsing the sandwiches while Natsu and Happy looked outside.

"What do you think all those people are up to?" asked Natsu. There was a large crowd beginning to gather around the newsstand across the street. He reached into his pocket and handed a few coins to Happy. "Happy, can you go grab a paper and see what everyone is so interested in."

"Aye Aye Captain!" He flew out of the shop and was back a few minutes later. His ears were low, and he didn't say anything as he put the paper on the table.

Natsu and Lucy leaned over it and read.

 _Yesterday evening, residents of Columbine, Fiore evacuated their homes after being threatened by a man claiming to be the notorious Killing Mage, Zeref. Witnesses reported that the man used powerful magic and violence to coerce them into leaving their homes. There were also reports of a black dragon with blue markings flying towards Columbine._

 _Investigators from the magic council have reported that the town of Columbine was completely destroyed sometime between 1-4am this morning. They cannot confirm the source of the destruction although rumors are swirling that Zeref is to blame. Currently, there are twelve people missing and reports of multiple injuries. It is estimated that approximately 600 residents have lost their homes. A temporary shelter has been established and volunteers are needed to help distribute supplies. If you are interested in volunteering, please meet the local rescue team at the nearby town of Begonia._

The rest of the article discussed multiple theories for the attack and the possibility of Zeref using a dragon to spread chaos throughout the region. The article also included a sketch of Zeref that only bore a slight resemblance to the real man.

Lucy put down the paper. She thought she was going to be sick.

"I don't think Zeref's plan worked. If it had, Acnologia wouldn't have destroyed that town, right? That means twelve people might be dead and 600 people lost their homes for no reason."

"You don't know that," said Natsu. "Maybe he killed Acnologia after the town was destroyed. Either way, you can't be responsible for the evil that man creates. You did what you thought was right and no one can blame you for that."

"Well, why don't you just ask Zeref what happened?" asked Happy. He pointed towards Lucy's apartment. "He's standing over there."

Natsu and Lucy looked out the café's window. Sure enough, a man in a black military jacket with gold buttons was standing in the middle of the street looking up at Lucy's apartment.

"What the hell?" Lucy asked.

"What's he doing here?" Natsu stood up quickly. "Lucy, I think there's a back door to this place. You should get out of here!"

"What? Wait—maybe we should see what he wants," she said.

"No way. He's obviously looking for you. I don't want to lose you again." Natsu started pulling her away.

Lucy pulled back. "I don't think he's here to start another fight."

"Why else would he be here?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should follow Happy's advice and ask him."

Happy twisted a napkin in his hands nervously. "Lucy, I was joking. I don't want to talk to Zeref."

She tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I left on pretty good terms with him. Maybe…"

"How can you say that? Have you looked in a mirror recently? What that man did to you…". Natsu stopped talking. He was getting emotional which was very out-of-character for him. Something had changed in him during the last couple days. It hurt her to see him like that.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Never mind. Let's go out the back." She threw the menu on the table and started to stand up.

The bell on the café's door jingled and they looked up.

Zeref was standing by their table.


	18. Chapter 18

There was an awkward pause.

"Hi," said Lucy after the silence had become too uncomfortable. Her eyes kept flicking between Natsu and Zeref. Both men were glaring at each other.

Zeref looked down at the newspaper on the table. "I see word travels fast." He picked up the paper and pointed to the picture. "Is this supposed to be me? This man has a unibrow."

Lucy looked around the café. A few people were beginning to stare. "Can we take this outside?" She tugged on Natsu's vest but he didn't move. Happy had perched himself on Natsu's shoulder and was trembling.

Zeref picked up a menu and began browsing. "Actually, I'm famished. Does this shop have any soup?"

"Don't you think a little more privacy would be nice?" whispered Lucy.

He glanced around the café. There were only five people in the shop not including the waitress who had just gone back into the kitchen. He muttered a few words under his breath.

Each of the other patrons were suddenly attacked by their food. The leaves on one woman's salad began to swarm like angry bees and a man was pelted in the face with meatballs. There was another man whose sandwich opened and closed like bear trap.

There were shouts as the customers jumped out of their seats. The waitress came back just in time to see the last patron running out of the shop. She gave Lucy a questioning look.

Lucy laughed nervously. "I don't know what got into all of them. I think they saw a mouse."

The waitress glared suspiciously but took their orders. When she was gone, Lucy looked at Zeref.

"What the hell happened last night? It sounds like an entire town was leveled."

A look of annoyance flashed across his face. "Well, things didn't go exactly as planned—not that _that_ should be any surprise. Nothing involving Acnologia has ever gone to plan."

Natsu interrupted. "And what exactly was your plan? You better not have used Lucy for any of your evil shit. She trusted you to use that necklace to stop Acnologia, not destroy a town."

Zeref's eyes slid towards Lucy. "You told him?"

Her mouth felt dry.

Zeref waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's fine. It doesn't matter anyways. Acnologia knows what I tried to do. And I didn't lie— I really did try to reverse the spell that created Acnologia."

"What went wrong?" she asked.

"Let's see, after you and your merry band of friends left, I went to the closest town and cleared out the residents."

"Why?"

"As a precaution—he has levelled the closest town as a form of revenge for other failed attempts I've made against him."

"So you knew a town might to be destroyed? What if Acnologia had flown in a different direction?"

He gave her a grim look. "Then thousands of people would be dead." He paused, watching her reaction. "But—I was almost certain he would head towards Columbine. The next closest town is Begonia and it is too small to draw his attention."

It still seemed risky to Lucy but she wasn't going to argue that point. What was in the past, was in the past.

Zeref continued. "Anyways, once the town was cleared out, I went into the forest and summoned the spirit of Brotan."

"Who's Brotan?" asked Natsu.

Zeref looked at him. "I see Lucy didn't tell you everything. Brotan is the first dragon and the father of all dragons."

Natsu's eyes widened and Zeref seemed pleased that he had caught him off guard.

"Did the necklace not work?" she asked.

"Yes and no. I was able to summon Brotan…"

The waitress came back with their orders and Zeref stopped talking. Lucy and Natsu had gotten sandwiches, Happy had ordered the salmon, and Zeref had ordered a bowl of ramen. Lucy had actually expected Natsu to order ramen but he may have been loath to order the same thing as Zeref.

They thanked the waitress and she left.

Zeref clapped his hands together. "It was a bit chilly this morning. I love a bowl of warm ramen after a spending a night outside." He picked up his chopsticks and began slurping up the noodles.

"So, did Brotan refuse to help you?" asked Lucy.

"Oh, I'm sure he would have liked to refuse on principal but he is bound by the person who summons him. He didn't reverse the spell simply because he couldn't."

"He couldn't?" asked Lucy. "After everything we went through, the first dragon couldn't undo the spell?"

"Sadly, you are correct," agreed Zeref. "If he had been alive, it might have been possible. It seems it takes a great more power to reverse the spell than to cast it."

"That seems like a pretty big miscalculation on your part. We risked our lives getting that damn thing. You destroyed an entire town—all because you _thought_ he _might_ be able to undo the spell that turned Acnologia into a dragon?"

Zeref patted his mouth with a napkin. "Well, it sounds reckless when you put it _that_ way. There was no way to tell for certain if it would work. It seemed worth a shot given the risks."

Natsu interrupted. "How do we know Acnologia isn't just killing people because you're trying to kill him? I seem to recall seeing you at Tenrou Island seven years ago."

Zeref's eyes flashed red and Lucy kicked Natsu under the table. It was too late though.

"I assure you that Acnologia isn't the victim in this mess. It's true that his appearance at Tenrou Island while I was there wasn't a coincidence but I did not force his hand in destroying that island. He has destroyed plenty of towns, such as Margaret without provocation."

Zeref lifted more noodles to his mouth.

Lucy cleared her throat. "So, what happened after you found out that the spell wouldn't work? How did Acnologia show up?"

"All dragons, even Acnologia have a connection to the First. The instant I summoned Brotan, Acnologia knew of his existence and came to destroy the necklace. I was actually counting on this to help me cast the spell. However, after my discussion with Brotan, I realized my goals were unattainable so I was gone by the time Acnolgoia arrived."

He reached into his pocket and put the necklace on the table. The three of them stared at it.

"This is essentially worthless now although Acnologia would probably love to destroy it. After I made my escape, I watched from a distance as he tore my castle apart. I believe he was searching for this necklace."

Natsu put his drink on the table. "So why are you here now? Your plan to defeat Acnologia failed. Fine—I get it. But what do you want with Lucy?"

Zeref ignored him and turned towards Lucy. "What exactly is the deal with you two? Are you married?"

"No," said Lucy. "We're partners—we work together."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, and you didn't answer his question. Why are you here?"

Zeref sighed. "Well, I'd like to lay low for a couple days while my servants search for a new home-base and I was trying to think of a good way to pass the time. Then I remembered the state that I had left your apartment in and I realized how completely rude that was of me. So, I thought I would stop over here and see if I could be of some assistance."

There was a soft thud as Happy hit the ground

"You expect us to believe that you came here to help Lucy?" asked Natsu.

"You don't have to believe me, I'll prove it."

Zeref stood up and walked outside. They watched through the window as he strolled along the building supplies.

With each step he took, materials and tools seemed to come alive. Saws cut wood and hammers pounded nails. The strangest of all was the lumber. The boards sprouted legs and crawled up the apartment's steps like giant centipedes. People on the street stopped to watch the spectacle. A few took pictures.

Zeref came back inside. "See? No tricks. Your apartment should be good as new in a couple hours."

Lucy stammered. "Th—thank you, I guess."

Natsu jumped out of his seat. "This is crazy. Don't thank him Luce—he almost killed you. You still have his hand marks around your neck and that black eye."

Her hand went up to the ugly bruises. She had forgotten about them.

"I'll admit that that wasn't my finest moment. I'd like to fix that also if you let me." Tentatively, he reached up and brushed the hair behind her shoulder. His fingers traced her cheek and neck. "Sana," he said.

Instantly, she felt the swelling in her cheek dissipate.

"Oh hell no." Natsu grabbed the front of Zeref's jacket and pulled him close. "You might be acting like the nice guy now but you're not fooling me. This is some sort of an act. You want something from us."

Zeref grabbed Natsu's hand and slowly peeled it off his collar. Natsu didn't cry out but his fingers were turning purple so Lucy new that whatever Zeref was doing— hurt.

"I want absolutely nothing from you and I don't require anything from Lucy either. But—"

"Ha, there's a _'but'_. I knew it!"

"But, if Lucy is willing, I would enjoy some companionship and perhaps a little help in brainstorming ideas for my next plan of attack against Acnologia."

"You want help from me?" she asked. "I don't know the first thing about killing dragons. Natsu would probably be better for that. He _is_ a dragon slayer."

Zeref laughed. "Hardly. It's obvious from his skill-level that he was abandoned before his training was complete. Natsu wouldn't be able to kill a hatchling, much less a full grown dragon."

Natsu's face turned bright red. His father had been the dragon who had trained him and had mysteriously left him when he was a child. Zeref was pouring salt on old wounds.

"Now you—" Zeref reached out and clasped Lucy's hand. "You almost killed me—a feat which has not be done in centuries. I would greatly value your opinion in this matter."

Lucy took her hand back and pulled out her wallet. "No," she said firmly. "You've just insulted my friend and I'm not going to work with someone like that." She glanced at the check and threw some money on the table.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here." She stood up and Happy and Natsu followed suit. They walked out of the café without looking back.

Natsu jogged to keep up with her pace. His cheeks still had two bright red marks on them but he looked a little better. "Thanks for telling that guy off Luce. I was worried you were starting to buy into his bullshit."

"Yeah, that was a crappy thing he said about Igneel." She squeezed his shoulder. "And I think you're the best dragon slayer there is. You've gotten really strong and you always have my back. That's all that really matters."

Happy flew beside them. "I can't believe that was Zeref. He was scary."

Lucy looked back over her shoulder. No one was following them but she didn't think she had seen the last of Zeref.


	19. Chapter 19

Lucy and Natsu were eager to help the townspeople of Columbine so they packed their bags and headed out the next day. They invited Happy to join them but he had been invited on another mission with Carla which he didn't want to pass up. Natsu wished him good luck and agreed to bring him back a fish.

They took a four hour train ride to Begonia which was where a large part of the aid effort was being organized. From there, it was another 6 hour boat ride to Columbine. By the time they arrived, they were exhausted and Natsu was on the verge of dehydration due to his extreme motion sickness.

Looking around at the magnitude of the destruction was shocking. Not a single building was standing and refugees were camping in ruble that had once been city streets. Everyone looked tired, scared and overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, the refugee's problems couldn't easily be solved by magic. Lucy summoned Aires to create soft wool beds and Cancer gave free haircuts but most of the help they could offer came in the form of handing out food or providing comfort.

They worked into the night and only slept a few hours. The next morning, Lucy was up early and took a moment to watch the sunrise before the other villagers started to stir. Pink clouds gave way to soft purples and hints of blue, giving the impression that perhaps things would be better that day.

The peaceful scene was interrupted by dark masses moving quickly across the sky. Alarmed, Lucy reached over and shook Natsu.

"Natsu, wake up!" she cried.

He snorted loudly and sat up, still half asleep. "Huh?"

"Look up there!"

Natsu sat up and stared. He watched in awe for a few minutes and then tears began to stream down his face.

"Where do you think they're going?" he whispered.

Above them, at least a dozen dragons were gliding across the sky.

"Given the direction their heading, I'd bet anything this is connected to Zeref summoning the First." She swallowed hard. "Do you see Igneel?"

"No." Natsu sat and watched the last dragon disappear behind some clouds. He turned towards Lucy and wiped the tears away from his eyes. "I didn't see Igneel but you can bet anything that we're going to go find those dragons."

She nodded solemnly. "I know."


	20. Chapter 20

Lucy and Natsu packed up their gear and started walking west immediately after seeing the dragons. They weren't worried about losing the trail because Natsu soon felt something _summoning_ him. Given his connection to dragon magic, it seemed likely it wasn't a coincidence.

After they had been walking for about five hours, Natsu began to get anxious. It seemed they were getting close which made Lucy nervous.

"You can't just run up to a group of dragons," Lucy said as she hurried to keep up with him. "What if these dragons hate humans?"

Natsu pushed some brush aside and kept walking. "The only dragon that has killed a human in the last 400 years is Acnologia. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"How do you know? Dragons might have killed lots people and you just don't know about it." She stumbled over a tree branch and Natsu caught her. Their eyes met.

"Look, I understand why you're scared and its okay if you want to stay here. But, I'm going to talk to these dragons no matter what. I've been looking for my father for too long to give up now."

"I know. And I'm not going to bail on you. I just think we need a plan for how we approach them."

A bush rustled and she spun around.

Lucy laughed nervously— it was just a deer running through the forest. "Man, I'm getting jumpy."

Suddenly, thousands of birds dove out of the brush and rushed past them.

"What's going on?" she cried out.

Lucy looked back towards the brush just as a large tree fell over. Suddenly, a massive beast with claws and teeth broke through the forest and charged at them full speed.

"Run!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's arm and tried to pull him away but wouldn't move.

"Natsu!" she screamed. At the last moment she dove out of the way but it was too late for her friend.

The dragon crashed into Natsu and pinned him to the ground. Lucy watched in horror as the dragon's jaws drew towards Natsu. A large tongue slithered out and… licked him?

Tears were streaming down her friend's face but they were tears of joy, not fear.

"Father! I knew you were alive." Natsu rubbed his cheek against the dragon's scaly shoulder.

Lucy had heard Natsu talk about his father but she hadn't fully prepared herself for the sight of him. His incredible size was enough to steal her breath. The dragon's body was muscled and covered with red scales, except for his stomach which was the color of sand. A thick scar crisscrossed his chest and his right eye was missing.

Strange growling sounds were coming from Igneel. As Lucy's heartbeat slowed to a mild sprint, she realized that the sounds were affectionate, bearing some resemblance to a cat's purr.

Natsu dodged one of Igneel's kisses and put a hand on the dragon's nose. "Hold on a second. You have some serious explaining to do."

"Yes Father. Please tell us where you've been."

They all turned to see who had spoken. Leaning against a tree with arms crossed, was villain extraordinaire and Lucy's newest buddy, Zeref. He was staring at Natsu and Igneel with unmasked hatred in his eyes.

"What's he talking about? Why did he call you Father?" asked Natsu.

"The same reason you did. He's my son."

The weight of his words seemed to hang in the air until Zeref finally broke the silence. "What's wrong Natsu? Did daddy leave you in the dark about a few things?"

Igneel took a few steps towards Zeref and stretched out his long neck. He nudged Zeref's shoulder gently. "I know you probably don't believe me but it's good to see you. I'm sure you have lots of questions but I'd like to spend some time with Natsu now. He was just a small boy when I left and I'm sure it was very hard on him."

Zeref's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Take all the time you need. I'll just stand over here and inspect this tree for termites."

Igneel gave a small snort. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you missed me. Just give us 15 minutes."

Lucy walked over to Zeref. "Come on, let's go for a walk." She tugged on his jacket sleeve and he reluctantly began moving.

She looked back and saw Igneel's tail wrap around Natsu as they began speaking in earnest. Igneel was right, it would be good to give him and Natu some privacy but she could muster up a little sympathy for Zeref.

Just a little.

"So, Igneel's your father?" she asked after they had been walking for awhile.

"Yes." He kept walking, staring at the ground.

"Are you two… on good terms?"

He gave her a wry look. "What do you think?"

"Sorry," she said quickly.

He sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so annoyed." He kicked a rock and it bounced off a tree. "When we lost Aaron, I was obsessed with trying to turn him back into a human. I began experimenting with more and more powerful forms of magic which upset my Father. He begged me to stop but I ignored his pleas. We've had a strained relationship ever since."

She nodded to show she was listening and they kept walking.

"Twenty-four years ago, I cast a sleeping spell on Acnologia. It was successful and he lay dormant for 17 years until I accidently said his name while on Tenrou Island."

Lucy gritted her teeth, remembering the event. She had also been on Tenrou Isalnd and might have died if it had not been for a protection spell cast by Fairy Tail's first Guild Masater.

Zeref kept talking. "Anyways, once I cast the sleeping spell I went to visit my father, certain he would approve of my success—I had found a way to stop Acnologia without the use of black magic."

"Instead, I found out that he had started a new family—he had adopted another child and was training him in the art of dragon slayer magic. I left without even speaking to him."

She shook her head. "I can understand why you were upset but you should have talked to your father anyways." She looked down, remembering the troubled relationship with her own father. "I'm sure he still loves you. Parents always hold a place in their hearts for their children, even if they don't always show it."

He made a sad smile. "That's a lovely thought, but we had some pretty heated arguments. Anyways… after I saw my father with Natsu, I went to visit my him a few times, but seeing him with a new son brought back too many bad feelings—I felt like I had been replaced. On one of these trips, I noticed that Natsu was all alone and crying. I watched him for a full day but my Father didn't return. Something was obviously wrong—my Father wouldn't have left such a young child. I loathed Natsu but I couldn't watch him die. So, I put an anonymous note on Fairy Tail's door and three hours later, a man with red hair and a cape came for him."

Lucy's eyes widened. "That's incredible! You should tell this to Natsu."

"Why?"

"He should know what you did for him."

"Look, I'm not interested in having any sort of a relationship with Natsu. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." He rubbed is forehead like he was getting a headache.

"Well, I'm glad you did." She stopped and looked around. "Do you want to start heading back?"

Zeref put his hands on her shoulders. "In a minute—there's something I want to do first."

He bent down and kissed her on the lips. It was such a shock that Lucy didn't even think about what was happening. When he was done, he pulled back and smiled at her.

Her heart was racing. Touching her mouth, she looked up at him.

"There, now I'm ready to head back." He turned and started walking.

After a few moments, she followed. It wouldn't be good to get lost in the forest.

They came up over a small hill and Lucy spotted Natsu and Igneel. She waved and Natsu motioned for them to come over. As she got closer, she noticed that he was glaring at Zeref.

"Did you two have a nice walk?" Natsu asked.

"Absolutely lovely. Did you have a nice chat?" Zeref flashed Natsu a cold smile.

Natsu stared at the two of them and Lucy could feel her face beginning to turn red.

Igneel cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at the dragon.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting this young lady," he said.

"Oh sorry I didn't introduce you," said Natsu. "Lucy, this is my Father, Igneel."

Lucy held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

The dragon held out a claw and she grasped it in what had to be the world's most lop-sided handshake.

"Likewise," said Igneel. "I'd love to get to know you better but I think I have kept my other son waiting long enough."

"No problem, I understand."

"But—" Igneel added, "There will be time for us to talk later. The dragons have set up camp about 2 miles to the west of here. Natsu should have no problem following my scent. Please go there and I will meet up with you as soon as possible."


	21. Chapter 21

Lucy and Natsu had no problems finding the base camp that Igneel had described.

They found that the dragons had decided to gather near the bottom of a mountain. It was a picturesque scene with a waterfall cascading down the mountainside. Dragons splashed in the water and sunned themselves on rocks. In total, there were at least 50 dragons at the camp but Lucy saw even more flying nearby, presumably hunting game in the surrounding forest.

They talked to a green dragon that appeared to be covered in moss. He politely told them to make themselves comfortable but warned that all the good caves were already taken.

Igneel soon arrived with Zeref noticeably absent. When Lucy asked about it, Igneel explained that many of the dragons disapproved of Zeref and it would be better if he camped separately for the time being.

That evening, Igneel sat with them and listened to adventures his son had during the last 17 years of his life. Lucy loved watching the two of them talk. Natsu would tell some tale that would have made a human parent cringe, but Igneel only seemed to find humor in it. She was beginning to see where Natsu got his fearlessness from.

As the sun set Natsu made a small fire and they continued their stories over a meal of fresh venison. Eventually Igneel bid them goodnight and crawled into a nearby cave.

Lucy and Natsu unrolled their sleeping mats and slept in the open night air. On nights that were clear such as this one, she loved sleeping under the stars.

Not long after she had fallen asleep, a hand shook her. She turned her head.

Natsu was there, grinning.

"What is it?" she asked.

He put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quite. He held out his hand and she took it.

She followed him as they travelled along the river's edge. After several minutes, they were far enough away from the dragon's base camp that she felt she could speak.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

"It's a surprise."

They kept walking and eventually came to a small cave. It was probably part of the same network of caves that the dragons were using for shelter, but this particular entrance looked too small for a dragon.

"Here, get on my back," said Natsu. He bent over to help her up.

"Oh man, you better not get me into any trouble," she said as she climbed up.

"Okay, now close your eyes," he said.

"It's a cave. It's going to be completely dark anyways."

"Come on. It will be worth it, I promise."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Walking in a pitch black cave would be extremely challenging for a normal person but Natsu was able to pull it off easily while carrying a full grown person.

"Okay, we're here. You can open your eyes."

Lucy did as she was told.

"Oh my! Natsu this is incredible!"

Covering the cave's walls were millions of blue dots that softly glowed. It was simply the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

"What are they?" she asked.

"They're sort of like lightning bugs but they're blue. Aren't they neat?"

"Yeah." She looked around her. The insects were giving off so much light, that her eyes were able to make out the other features in the cave. There was a pool not far from where they stood. The blue glow was reflecting off its surface like a glowing mirror.

"The water's pretty warm," said Natsu. He had seen the direction of her gaze. "I think these caves were created by geothermal activity. We should go for a swim."

She nodded, still awestruck by the view. Swimming in a cave this beautiful was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

She hadn't worn a bathing suit so she summoned Virgo to bring her one from the Celestial World. The maiden came back with a blue two-piece with ruffles on the top. Lucy went around a corner to change and found Natsu in the water by the time she came back.

As she looked at Natsu's silhouette, Lucy suddenly found herself becoming nervous. The soft blue glow made Natsu's normally tan skin appear iridescent. He had always had a nice physique but the cave's lighting seemed to emphasize the contours of his muscled frame.

Her mind flashed to Zeref's kiss.

It had been such a bold thing to do. Now that she had had some time to process it, she realized that it hadn't been completely unwelcome. There were many things to dislike about Zeref—such as the fact that he had invaded her dreams, kidnapped her, and beaten up her friends up, just to name a few—but she was beginning to see another side to the man.

Still, there was another reason she felt she couldn't let herself fall for the black mage.

Natsu.

For years they had been friends and behaved professionally, but there had often been embraces that seemed a little too tight, or the occasional glance that would linger. Natsu had been there to ease her pain during some of the worst moments of her life, and to share joy in some of the best. Looking back at those memories, she realized there was no other person she would rather have had by her side.

She couldn't be with Zeref because she was in love with Natsu.

It was as if a thick fog had suddenly dissipated. Now that she acknowledged her feelings, she had to act on them. She took a deep breath and walked towards the hot spring.

Natsu looked up at her as she approached. "Isn't this great?"

"Yeah." Lucy stepped into the water and took a seat across from him. The butterflies in her stomach were in a frenzy.

"So, Igneel told me the other dragon slayers should be arriving tomorrow," said Natsu.

"Hmmm," said Lucy. She was barely listening.

"We were all summoned here to meet with the Queen dragon. We'll finally get answers about where the dragons have been these last 17 years."

"Ah."

Natsu gave her a questioning looking. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, why? Does something seem wrong?"

"Well, maybe. I guess I was expecting you to be more interested in hearing about the things Igneel told me." He frowned.

"Sorry." She cleared her throat. "What were you saying?"

He began to tell her more of the details about his private conversation with Igneel but her mind soon drifted again. Now that she knew how she felt about Natsu, she had to find out if he felt the same way. But how? Should she make a confession? Should she send him a note? Or should she go the route Zeref had chosen and just kiss him?

"So, what do you think?" asked Natsu.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He signed. "What's with you tonight?"

She looked at him and suddenly knew what she was going to do. Keeping low in the water, she waded towards him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. His eyes widened.

She rose a few inches, tilted her head and pressed her lips to his. Natsu's body instantly became rigid. She moved her mouth, trying to ease him into the kiss but he remained frozen in his seat. Frustrated she pulled back and looked at him.

"Lucy…" he began.

"Oh God," she whispered. She could already tell what he was going to say. The look in his eyes said it all.

 _He doesn't feel the same way._

"I… I can't," he stammered.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. She stood up. "I shouldn't have done that." She turned around and started getting out of the pool.

"You don't understand. I'm sorry," he said.

"No, it's okay. I'm the one who's sorry." She started walking out of cave. "I'd like a few minutes by myself, okay? I'll meet you back at the camp."

Part of her expected Natsu to come after her, to hold her and tell her it had all been a misunderstanding. Of course he had feeling for her. They would kiss and go on a date. He would be her boyfriend and she would be his girlfriend.

But he wasn't coming after her.

She walked until the blue glow of the insects faded. Soon it was pitch black and she had to feel her way around the cave. She wanted to turn back but hot tears were streaming down her face and the last thing she wanted was for Natsu to see her crying.

She stumbled and fell face first against the stone floor's surface. Her jaw hit the ground and she bit her tongue hard enough to taste blood.

"Dammit," she muttered. She got back up and continued moving.

Blessedly, the darkness of the cave soon gave way as the moon's light shown through its entrance. She exited the enclosure and was immediately shocked as a cool breeze hit her wet skin. She looked down.

She was still in her bathing suit. She had been in such a rush to leave the cave that she had forgotten to pick up her clothes.

"Whatever," she grumbled. She still had her keys and could summon Virgo for a fresh pair of clothes but she didn't feel like talking to anyone at that moment. She just had to get as far away Natsu as possible.

A snapped branch caught her attention and she looked up. There was a rocky cliff across the river and for a second, it looked like a shadowy figure was standing there. She shrugged it off and started walking downstream in the opposite direction of the dragon's base camp.

As she walked, she stopped trying to hold back her tears and let them fall freely. How could she have been so stupid? She had probably just destroyed a perfectly good friendship.

She heard someone approaching her from behind and her heart sank—it had to be Natsu. He had come to see if she was alright and was going to see how pathetic she was. She started walking faster.

"I said I want to be alone," she called out. She tried her best to keep the waver out of her voice.

"Lucy, what happened?" The voice wasn't Natsu's—it was Zeref's.

 _Damn, what's he doing here?_

"Nothing, I don't want to talk about it."

He was still behind her. "I can tell that you're crying and you smell like blood. For christ's sake, you don't even have any clothes on!"

"I said… I… don't…want…to… talk… about it." She was beginning to get mad. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

He grabbed her wrist and spun her around. Her rage was bubbling now and she prepared herself for an argument.

She looked into his eyes and froze. There was nothing there for her to be angry at. If anything, he looked concerned and maybe even scared.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

And that is when she lost it. Heavy sobs escaped her, coming out as ugly croaks. Her nose had begun to run and she could tell her face was flushed.

Zeref's eyes widened. "What happened?" His expression darkened. "Did Natsu do something?"

"No, _that's_ the problem," she said through sobs.

Zeref brow furrowed in confusion but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he pulled her towards his chest and hugged her.

She let herself fall into his arms and continued crying. He patiently traced small circles against her back and after a couple minutes, she felt herself begin to regain her composure.

Lucy leaned back. "Sorry," she said as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"It's okay. You really had me scared there."

She looked up at him. "What are you even doing out here?"

He hesitated. "Most of the dragons despise me but Igneel asked me to stick around and talk to Queen Natasha tomorrow. So, I made camp downstream from the dragons. I heard talking and wanted to investigate. That's when I saw you and Natsu go into the cave." He looked embarrassed. "I was curious so I thought I would just see what you guys were up to. I didn't expect to see you stumbling out of the cave by yourself."

She shivered. Now that she had stopped moving, she was beginning to get cold. Zeref noticed and rubbed his hands along her biceps. "Here." He took off the white toga that he wore above his jacket and gave it to her.

She took the sheet and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Thanks."

"Can I heal you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I fell down and bit my tongue." It was already beginning to feel swollen.

"And your knee."

She looked down and sure enough, it was bleeding.

"I didn't even notice that," she admitted.

Zeref recited a soft incantation and Lucy felt a wave of energy wash over her body. Perhaps he put a little something extra in the healing spell because she felt considerably more relaxed as well.

"Thanks."

"It was my pleasure."

He seemed to be searching for the next words he wanted to say. "So, you said that Natsu didn't do something… and that was a problem?"

"Yeah." She tried her best to look him in the eye but it was uncomfortable. "After you kissed me, it got me thinking about my feelings and I realized that I care about Natsu."

She looked down at the ground, unable to keep the eye contact. "I let him know how I feel and he didn't reciprocate."

Zeref raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

He scratched the back on his neck.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just not sure I believe Natsu doesn't have feelings for you but I appreciate losing a rival."

A small laugh escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just the way you said 'rival'. It reminds me of my friend Juvia—she's always referring to me as her 'love rival'."

"And does this Juvia, also have a thing for Natsu?"

"No. She has a thing for Gray Fillibuster."

"Hmmm, I will have to find out who this Gray Fillibuster is."

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about there. He's just a friend." Their talk seemed to be improving her mood. Her tears had almost dried up.

"I should probably get going. Natsu will be worried if I don't go back to camp," she added.

"Wait."

He leaned down and gave her another brief kiss.

When he pulled back, Lucy looked up at him with surprise. "I just told you I had feelings for Natsu. Why did you do that?"

He brushed her bangs back and smiled. "I already knew you had feelings for him. But I think you're also beginning to have feelings for me. With a little effort, I think I can shift the scales in my favor." He gave her a small wink.

"Well, you're simply brimming with confidence," she muttered.

"Well, you haven't exactly been putting up a fight." He pulled her in for another kiss. This time, his lips parted and his tongue slid into her mouth, coaxing her with slow circles. She actually felt herself getting weak in the knees.

 _This is what it feels like to be swept off your feet._

She heard leaves rustle and pulled back, startled.

Natsu was standing there.

"Natsu—" she began.

He turned around and began walking back towards the camp. She stared after him, shocked. Why did he have to see that? Had she hurt him? Or did he really care so little that he didn't want to waste his breath.

"I feel sick," she said softly.

"Don't. We didn't do anything wrong."

She pulled away from Zeref and then took off after Natsu. She could hear Zeref shouting something but she didn't care. She had to do her best to pick of the pieces of her broken friendship.

She caught up to Natsu and started walking alongside him. He kept his eyes on the ground and didn't slow down.

"Are you mad?" she asked softly.

He was quite for a while. "I don't know. I think I'm mad at myself. I should have never taken you to that cave." He stole a quick glance at her and Lucy thought the rims of his eyes looked red. Why would he be crying if he didn't have feelings for her?

"I'm sorry for what you saw a minute ago. If there is any hope that the two of us can be together, I'll never talk to Zeref again," she said.

He kept walking. It was driving her crazy that he wouldn't stop and talk to her properly. "Are those the only two options? Do you suddenly you need a boyfriend?"

"Well no—"

A large rock was in his path and he flipped it out of the way. "Actually, maybe you and Zeref together isn't such a bad thing."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. Look, I'm tired. Let's just get back to camp and go to sleep. We can talk about it another time when we're less emotional."

The conversation was over but one thing was clear—Natsu didn't want a relationship with her.

 _Bigdream3r – Special thanks to crbrgmi for all the kind reviews. I really appreciate it._


	22. Chapter 22

The next day, the other dragon slayers and the Exceeds arrived at the dragon's camp. They came in two groups: Sting, Rogue, Lector and Frosch in one and then Laxus, Wendy, Gajeel, Carla, Panther Lily and Happy in another.

Everyone was curious to meet the Queen. If things went well, they would finally learn why the dragon's had mysteriously disappeared so many years ago.

Igneel gathered everyone together and brought them to the bottom of the waterfall. Now that they were closer, Lucy could see that there was a cave directly behind the falling water.

They stood on the embankment for several minutes. Igneel kept looking up along the cliffs. He was probably waiting for Zeref—Lucy hadn't seen him all morning but he had said the Queen wanted to meet with him also.

Around the river's bend, five dragons suddenly took flight. Other dragons turned to see what the commotion was. They began growling and backing away when they saw who was approaching.

Of course, it was Zeref.

The Black Mage walked towards them with a blank expression on his face.

Laxus was the first to speak. "Shit, this guy? Is he looking for a fight?"

"No, it's okay," said Igneel. "He won't cause a problem and I asked him to come here."

All eyes were on Zeref as he came and stood next to Lucy. "Sorry I'm late," he said to Igneel.

"It's not a problem. I was actually expecting one more. Ah—there he is now."

Lucy looked in the direction of Igneel's gaze and grimaced. Cobra, the poison dragon slayer was approaching. He had once been a member of a dark guild and should have been in prison for it, but it seemed that he had somehow escaped.

One Cobra joined them the group waded through the river and passed under the waterfall's curtain. They all filed into the narrow cave and tried their best to dry themselves. Natsu took the lead and used his fire magic to light the way. Unfortunately, Lucy was too far back to make use of the light and kept tripping. Zeref came up behind her. "Would you like me to carry you on my back?" he offered after her second stumble.

"No, that's okay," she said quickly. She would rather skin her knees to the bone than give Natsu another reason to be mad at her.

Zeref sighed and held out his palm. A ball of fire appeared added to the dim light of the cave.

"You can do fire magic also?" she asked.

"Of course, I am the son of Igneel." He smiled a little sheepishly. "I would have preferred the back ride but I can't have you hurting yourself again. You seem to be accident prone."

Cobra was watching the exchange between her and Zeref with great interest. He leaned over to whisper to her. "Your thoughts are noisy today. Had a little fight with Natsu, hmmm?"

"A mind reader eh?" interrupted Zeref.

Cobra looked at him. "Not exactly—I _hear_ thoughts." His eyes narrowed. "But I'm not hearing any of yours."

Zeref smiled and showed his fangs. "Can you hear them now?"

Cobra's eyes widened and he paled. "Zeref," he whispered.

"I see my reputation precedes me."

Cobra stopped walking and Lucy glanced back at him. He was staring at Zeref with a mixture of hatred and fear. Perhaps the two men had some sort of bad blood between them?

They finally arrived at the end of the path and reached a small room—the Queen's den.

Lucy looked up with a sense of awe. Queen Natasha was was completely white with red eyes. As they approached, she sat up.

"Hurry up," came a gruff voice that sounded like it had experienced many things. "My patience is thin."

They hustled into the room and formed a semi-circle around the Queen. She looked around the group, studying each member.

She sniffed Happy. "What are you?"

"I'm Happy," he said cheerfully.

The Queen huffed and a trail of smoke escaped her nostrils. She continued looking at the group. Next she paused at Lucy. "You're not a dragon slayer," she said slowly.

"She came here with me." Natsu walked over and stood by her.

Lucy relaxed a little. It was good to know Natsu still had her back when it counted.

The Queen regarded him for a moment and then turned back to the group.

"Thank you all for coming. I will tell you all why I have summoned you're here but first, I know many of you would like to know why you lost your parents so many years ago."

She looked around the group and then continued. "You see, for the last 400 years, the remaining dragons have been surviving in secret. Acnologia went on a killing spree, and our entire species was nearly annihilated. We had no way to fight him, so we went into hiding. It was a pitiful existence but we had no choice."

"Many of my brethren have died trying to kill the Dragon King. We tried everything to no avail. We've even tried to kill him by using the link that binds him to his brother."

Lucy could see confusion on a few of her friends faces so she spoke up. "Zeref and Acnologia are brothers and their lives are linked through magic—but Zeref is immortal."

There were a few murmurs and Queen nodded before continuing. "Yes, Igneel was quite furious when we tried to kill his sons. But we acted with Zeref's blessing."

"What happened?" asked Wendy. Her eyes were wide.

Zeref smiled and leaned down until he was at eye level with her. "I allowed myself to be tied up and then the dragons tried to rip my heart out. A black wave of death escaped my body, killing six dragons and every piece of vegetation and wildlife in a 2 mile radius."

Wendy's eyes widened even further. She was practically trembling.

The Queen cleared her throat. "Yes, to say it went poorly is an understatement. We needed another plan so I found a great Oracle. This Oracle had the ability to see a thousand different futures. If there was something that could be done to save our kind, the Oracle could find what it was."

"The Oracle told me that in order to defeat Ancologia, we would need to train another dragon slayer. So, we began a search for orphan children, took them in and trained them."

"We believed we were on the path to redemption, until one day, our flock came under attack from none other than the Dragon King himself. He found the location where most of the dragons were hiding and began killing us one after the other. He was about to kill myself when Diamente, the crystal dragon cast her most powerful spell—a transportation spell. The spell sent all of the dragons, except Acnologia, into another realm where we lived in a semi-suspended state for these last 17 years. When the First was summoned recently, it created a rift between the two worlds and all of the dragons were able to travel back to this world. Now that we are back, we must continue our plan to kill Acnologia."

The Queen finished talking and looked around the group.

There was a brief paused and then Zeref burst out laughing.

The Queen glared at him. "What's so funny Zeref Dragneel?"

He continued laughing. "You're crazy if you think one of these kids is going to be able to kill Acnologia. I don't even think they could give him a belly ache if they let him swallow them whole."

"Let me be the one to determine that. I would like to assess each of their skill-levels so I am declaring a dragon slayer tournament."


	23. Chapter 23

Natsu's excitement over the tournament was so intense he was practically trembling as they drew straws to pick opponents.

The battles for the first match were to be Natsu vs. Sting, Laxus vs. Gajeel, Wendy vs. Cobra, and Zeref vs. Rogue.

Rogue's pale complexion turned even paler when he drew the straw for Zeref. He looked around at the other dragon slayers. "Did you guys hear what he said about the dragons who tried to kill him? He sent out a death wave. I better sit this one out."

Zeref gave him an exasperated look. "My death wave only activates if my life is truly in peril or I lose control of my emotions. It doesn't go off when I am bit by a mosquito."

Rogue nodded, seeming to ignore the insult. "Then I shall launch no attack that is greater in strength than a mosquito," he said with complete seriousness.

Zeref rolled his eyes and looked at the Queen. "He does have a point. Why are you even having me participate in this? These children are nowhere near my skill-level and people could be needlessly harmed."

The Queen blew steam out through her nostrils. "I'm only asking you because I prefer an even number of participants— you don't need to go full-out. Besides, if these _children_ watch you, perhaps they will learn something."

Zeref glanced at Natsu who was hopping around Laxus, throwing fake jabs. "Doubtful," he muttered.

The group relocated to an open field not far from the base camp so that the participants would have plenty of room to move. The "arena" wasn't as elaborate as the one at which the Grand Magic Tournament had been held, but it would do. Many of the dragons had been interested in the tournament as well, so they had formed a circle around the clearing.

The dragon slayers were talking to a brown dragon whose skin looked moist, similar to that of a salamander's. He was going to be the tournament officiant. Lucy decided to take a seat on a large rock while her friends were getting instructions.

From the other side of the field, Happy saw her and waved. He started flying towards her and immediately stopped. His ears lowered and he flew back to his original seat. Lucy wondered why he had had the sudden change of heart.

"May I sit here?"

She didn't need to turn to see that it was Zeref.

"Don't you want to listen to the instructions?' she asked.

He lifted his toga and sat next to her. "Not really. I'm not interested in winning this silly tournament. If they need me, they can call to me."

The group that was huddled around the official broke up and Natsu and Sting stepped into the center of the arena. They were both grinning like they had just won a cruise.

"Begin!" shouted the dragon officiant.

Natsu and Sting began to fight. As expected, Natsu was the better fighter but Sting's white dragon roar was beautiful. In the end, Natsu was able to finish him off with a simple uppercut. The blow sent Sting to the ground. Wendy ran over to him to heal him and he was up a few minutes later.

Natsu dusted Sting's back off. "No hard feelings?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Nah," said Sting. He rubbed his ribs. No doubt they were tender after receiving a couple blows to the chest. "I'll catch up to you one of these days though."

Natsu looked over at Lucy but quickly looked away. He went to stand next to Happy, Carla, and Wendy.

"It looks like Natsu hasn't forgiven you yet," said Zeref.

She gritted her teeth. "I don't need the commentary, okay?"

"Fine, I'll drop it."

Up next were Gajeel and Laxus. This battle was over even quicker than the last. Laxus dominated most of the fight although Gajeel did make effective use of his Iron Dragon Scales. His defensive capability was his best asset—still it didn't save him from a quick defeat.

Laxus helped Gajeel up and they shuffled off the field.

The third battle was Zeref and Rogue. Rogue was sweating profusely and looking around nervously. When the officiant called for the battle to begin, he just stood perfectly still in a defensive stance.

"Aren't you going to make a move?" asked Zeref.

Rogue didn't say anything and continued to stare at his opponent with wide eyes.

Zeref made an exasperated sigh and walked up to him. He tapped him on the arm and Rogue fell to the ground dramatically.

"Ouch, I'm down," he said as he grabbed his arm.

"I tapped your other arm."

Rogue shook his head. "No, I'm quite certain it was this arm, you win. I concede."

"Idiot, where's your pride," shouted Sting. "Do it for Sabertooth!"

The other dragon slayers began chanting his name. "Rogue, Rogue, Rogue!" There were shouts of encouragement and everyone stood.

Rogue's hand slowly reached towards his left shoulder and he touched the symbol that was hidden there. He closed his hand in a fist.

"You promise you won't kill me?" he asked Zeref.

"Yes. I won't kill you."

"Alright, I'll do it for Sabertooth."

Rogue stood up and launched his Shadow Dragon's Roar which Zeref dodge easily. The ensuing battle was actually amazing to watch. At first, a bystander may even think that Zeref and Rogue were evenly matched but after a couple minutes, Lucy realized that Zeref was allowing Rogue to showcase his talents. He would lead an attack against the Shadow Dragon Slayer, but only one that was possible to block or dodge. He allowed Rogue the opportunity to land a few good blows. It was only with a trained eye that one could see that Rogue wasn't doing any actual damage.

Some of the audience began to roar with approval after Rogue landed a series of particularly good blows. Lucy couldn't help but cheer when Rogue released his Shadow Drive.

Zeref glanced her direction and frowned. He turned his attention back towards Rogue who was charging him. With the ease of a man reaching for a carton of milk, Zeref punched him in the face hard enough that his feet left the ground. Rogue instantly fell down, unconscious.

"What the hell?" shouted Sting. He ran to his friend's side.

"Sorry," said Zeref. "I forgot to hold back on that one." He walked off the field and took his seat next to Lucy.

After some shaking and the use of some strong smelling salts, Rogue came back to consciousness. He looked up at his friend. "I did it," he said with a smile. "I fought Zeref."

Sting smiled back at him. "You sure did buddy. That was one hell of a fight."

Lucy's stomach was in knots. The last fight was the one she was the most worried about—Cobra vs. Wendy. Unlike the other dragon slayers, she didn't trust Cobra to show good sportsmanship. Also, Wendy was nearly 10 years his junior—the match had the potential to be a bloodbath.

She looked across the arena. Natsu's arms were crossed and he concerned as well.

"Are you okay?"

Lucy shook her head and looked at Zeref. "Sorry, I'm just worried about Wendy."

"Ah, yes it does look like this match up may be a bit lop-sided. But, I don't think you need to worry. If things get out of hand, I'm sure someone will step in. I'll do it myself if need be."

She nodded. "Thanks. I'm sure you're right—but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

Wendy and Cobra stepped into the ring. Their body language told it all—Wendy's hands were balled into nervous fists and Cobra stood with his weight on one leg, looking bored.

"Begin!" shouted the officiant.

Wendy immediately launched her Sky Dragon's Roar. The powerful gust hit Cobra and sent him flying back. His body toppled as it hit the ground and he landed on his face.

The other dragon slayers and Exceeds cheered for Wendy and the little girl beamed. Lucy was still too nervous to enjoy the small victory. It wasn't over yet.

Cobra got up slowly and Lucy noticed that his eyes had turned red. The rest of the crowd must have noticed also because the cheers tapered off.

"So you think you're brave like Natsu, eh? Well bravery isn't going to help you today." Cobra wiped some dust off his chin. He was listening to Wendy's thoughts. Sometimes words could be even more dangerous than fists.

Wendy clapped her hands together and gave her opponent a defiant glare. "I won't give up. No matter what, I'm going to do my best."

Cobra pulled back his arm and swung it forward. "Poison Dragon Scales!" he shouted as a wave of glowing red scales flew towards Wendy. Wendy held up her arms to block the attack but several of the scales struck her and she shuddered, obviously hurt.

She lifted her arms above her head. "Secret Dragon Slayer Technique—Sky Drill!" she shouted. Wind began to swirl around her. The wind blew faster and faster until it was so thick, it had effectively formed a barrier around her. Suddenly the small tornado broke free and flew towards Cobra.

The poison dragon slayer leapt to the side and dodged the attack. "You're attacks are useless against me," he taunted. "I can hear your thoughts."

Wendy lifted her chin. "Then you already know that I took that chance to heal myself against your last attack. You're poison won't work on me."

Lucy's heart pounded. The little dragon slayer was putting up a good fight. It was easy to forget that the quiet and polite little girl had tough streak.

Cobra laughed. "Don't feel confident yet—I was just getting warmed up." He brought his arms down in a sweeping motion. "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" A mass of poison in the shape of a snake's mouth flew towards Wendy and hit her. The little girl fell to the ground. Before she could get back up and heal herself, Cobra unleashed another attack.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" He brought his hands up to his mouth as if he were playing a trumpet and blew a stream of poisonous magic that hit Wendy full-on. Her small frame skidded across the arena's ground twenty feet before coming to a stop.

Wendy coughed and a splatter of blood came out of her mouth.

"That's enough!" shouted Natsu. "End the fight!" He, Gajeel and Laxus were all standing up, ready to run over to their small friend.

"Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!" Cobra shouted. He crossed his arms in front of him and two waves of poisonous mist flew towards Wendy.

The other dragon slayers ran towards Wendy but they were too far away to stop of wave of magic. Zeref and Lucy were closer. Zeref help up his arm and a fireball the size of a small meteor came screaming across the arena. The heat from the blast disintegrated the poisonous attack but it didn't stop there. The fireball kept flying, forcing several of the dragons to take flight and raced off into the forest. An effective "hole" had been formed by the fireball's path, clearing out trees and anything else that might be in its path.

Everyone stopped and stared at the spectacle. After several moments there was a loud bang and a puff of smoke appeared below one of the mountains near the dragon's base camp. The fireball must have struck stone. Lucy wondered how far into the mountain side it had continued.

Cobra was standing in the arena in a stupor. The fireball had missed him by no more than a couple feet. Wendy was nowhere to be seen.

Zeref stood up and looked around. "Where did the girl go?" he asked.

"Where did the girl go, he says." Horologium came puttering along. Inside his glass enclosure was the unconscious Wendy.

Zeref relaxed visibly. "That was quick, I didn't even hear you cast an incantation," he said as he turned towards where Lucy had been standing.

But Lucy was already halfway across the field. She marched up to Cobra and slapped him across the face, hard. His head jerked and he glared at her angrily.

"How dare you!" she shouted. "You had already won the fight. Why would you keep trying to hurt Wendy?"

Cobra's fists were balled up and it looked like he might hit her. Suddenly, Natsu jumped in between the two of them and punched him in the face. Cobra fell down and held his cheek.

"Get the hell away from me, all of you!" he shouted.

There were more angry glares but eventually Lucy and Natsu went back to their respective places on the sidelines. Zeref was holding Wendy in his lap and casting his healing spell. He spoke to Lucy as she approached.

"She'll be okay. You can relax."

Lucy looked at him. For some reason, tears were threatening to make an appearance. She had been deathly scared when she saw the poison flying towards Wendy.

"Yeah—and thanks by the way. I'm not sure Holorogium could have blocked Cobra's poison." She looked over at the path that the fireball had left. "You, uh, certainly stepped in."

The brown dragon who was officiating the fight called Natsu, Laxus, Zeref and Cobra back into the ring. It was time for round number two. He explained a few things to the remaining contestants and then Natsu and Laxus went back to the sidelines.

Zeref and Cobra stayed in the center of the field. They were going to fight. Zeref stared at his opponent and Cobra shifted uncomfortably. Lucy wondered what was going through Zeref's mind. Perhaps he was toying with the poison dragon slayer.

"Begin!" shouted the official.

Lucy watched nervously. There was no doubt that Zeref would win, the question was, how would he do it? For the most part, he had allowed Rogue the chance to fight and with the exception of the last blow, showed a certain level of restraint. Although Zeref wasn't friends with Wendy, she had a feeling that he might be less willing to show that restraint to Cobra.

"Wait!" shouted Cobra. He turned to the dragon. "I give up. There's no way I can beat him and I don't want to fight." He walked towards Wendy who was sitting next to Lucy on the sidelines.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I took things too far." He glanced at Lucy. "And I'm not just saying this because the demon over there scares the shit out of me. I really am sorry." He didn't wait for a response—he just kept walking until he found a place on the sideline that was sufficiently far enough away from the other humans.

"I believe him," said Wendy.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

Zeref came back to sit with them. Wendy smiled up at him. It looked like the black mage might have found a fan.

Up next was Laxus and Natsu. This would definitely be an interesting match. Laxus had always been the dominant fighter. It had taken two dragon slayers, Natsu and Gajeel, to beat Laxus in a fight years ago and they had only managed to do so by the skin of their teeth. Since then Natsu had gone through a lot of training. If he played his cards right, he might actually have a chance against his boyhood idol.

Both men had smiles that were slightly maniacal and their canines had lengthened. They were clearly looking forward to the fight.

The brown dragon yelled for the fight to start and the two dragon slayers immediately exchanged blows to the face. Both punches landed and they each took a step back, shaken by the impact.

"Lightning Blast!" Laxus held his hands out in front and sent a bolt of lightning towards Natsu.

Natsu dodged the attack and countered. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" His feet ignited and he launched a roundhouse kick. Laxus held up his arms and blocked the kick. He took advantage of Natsu's temporary lack of stability and drove an elbow into his ribs.

The blow connected and Natsu fell to the ground but was quick to recover. He spun his legs around, popping back up. "Fire Dragon's Horn Sword!" His body was instantly engulfed in flames and he charged towards Laxus, head-butting him.

Laxus's head jerked back and his face was covered in blood. He was clearly surprised—perhaps he was realizing for the first time how much Natsu had grown in the last couple years.

The fight continued. For the most part, the two opponents were evenly matched. One would begin to edge out a slight advantage, only to spur on the other's competitive side and force them to fight harder. Both contestants were giving it their all. After several minutes, they were both covered in blood and beginning to look slightly swollen.

Lucy glanced over at Zeref. He was quietly observing the fight, but didn't seem particularly vested in the outcome.

Both fighters were exhausted now and the end of the fight was approaching—neither of them would be able to stand much longer.

Laxus dodged one of Natsu's attacks and backed up, getting ready to launch something big. He brought his hands in front of him like he was holding an invisible ball and began to shake. Whatever he was doing was taking great energy.

A sphere of light began to form. He raised his arms and the ball flew into the air where it continued to grow. When it looked like it could grow no more, he pulled his arms towards himself and shouted, "Thunder Palace!"

Thousands of sparks of lightning spread across the entire battlefield. Several of the dragon's took flight, startled by the wide range of attack. Natsu was in the center of the attack. His back was arched and he screamed in pain.

Lucy stood up, concerned. She wanted to run onto the field but an arm was blocking her path. She looked over at Zeref.

"He'll be okay. I'm sure Natsu doesn't want you getting electrocuted on his account," he said.

She looked back out towards the field. The streams of lightning were dissipating but Natsu remained standing—tendrils of smoke rising up from his body.

Laxus's jaw literally dropped when he saw that Natsu wasn't down but he quickly recovered. "You must be feeling pretty good about yourself, eh? Well you may still be standing but you're probably on the last of your energy reserves. This next blow is going to knock you down for sure."

Natsu smiled, showing teeth that were speckled with ash. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art—Crimson Lotus!" he shouted. He swiped his arm and a crimson blade of flames rushed towards Laxus, hitting him in the chest. Laxus flew back and hit the ground. Upon impact, the blade of flames exploded into a fiery explosion so large that Lucy had to shield her eyes with her arms.

When the flames cleared, Laxus was still on the ground, unmoving. Natsu had won.

The crowd erupted in cheers and Natsu stood, swaying slightly. It looked like he wanted to take a seat but he didn't dare leave any doubt that he had just beat the great, Laxus Dreyer.

Wendy ran over to Laxus and began using her healing magic. Her magic didn't work as quickly as Zeref's but he would be feeling better shortly. Lucy started to walk towards Natsu to congratulate him on his victory.

Zeref walked past her. "He hasn't won just yet," he said. "Remember, this is a tournament. Now Natsu has to fight me."

Her heart sank. Zeref didn't even have a scratch on him and Natsu was barely standing. Also, Natsu didn't stand a chance against Zeref, why did they have to go through this? Things could get ugly between the two brothers.

Suddenly the Queen, who had been sitting on the sidelines with the other dragon's, flapped her wings. The other dragon's instantly fell silent and the humans followed suite.

"This will conclude the tournament. There is no need for the final fight," she declared. "Natsu and Zeref, I would like to speak to you two privately for a minute."

Zeref turned towards Lucy and shrugged. "I guess I won't have the pleasure of beating Natsu's ass for a second time. I'll come find you when we're done."

She nodded. She would wait for both men to finish their conversations with the Queen. Maybe Natsu would be willing to finally talk to her.

 _Bigdream3r: Thank you all for the reviews. Sunny ver2.0, I love the compliment! There are definitely times where I don't feel my stories are good so these reviews really boost my confidence._


	24. Chapter 24

Lucy stood at a distance as Zeref and Natsu talked with the Queen. She wished she could hear what they were saying. Halfway through the conversation, Igneel came up to the group. He seemed angry about something.

The sun was beginning to set and Lucy's stomach grumbled. Finally, the Queen spread her wings and flew away. Zeref began walking back towards Lucy while Igneel and Natsu continued speaking.

"I'm famished, how about you?" asked Zeref.

She looked over at Natsu. He had to have seen her waiting.

"I'd like to congratulate Natsu on his victory."

Zeref glanced towards the direction of her gaze. "I don't think he's coming over," he said sympathetically.

She tried not to look too upset. "Okay, well I suppose I can eat."

Zeref put a hand on her back and started guiding her away. "I seem to recall you making me a lovely breakfast. How about I return the favor and make you dinner?"

She agreed and they made their way to Zeref's camp site which wasn't far from the dragon's base.

Once there, Zeref pulled out a small pot and some rice with vegetables. He began preparing the meal over a fire and they talked as they rice softened.

"What did they Queen say to you and Natsu after the tournament?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I have been sworn to secrecy, but it wasn't anything that you should worry about."

"Well, can you at least tell me if we'll all be leaving tomorrow?"

"I think you and the other dragon slayers can head back first thing tomorrow morning but Natsu and I have to stick around and perform an errand."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What errand?"

Zeref was cutting the vegetables with a knife and placing them in a wooden bowl. He didn't make eye contact with her. "I told you, we have been sworn to secrecy." He began putting the vegetables on a stick to grill them. Something in his demeanor had changed. It was making her nervous.

"I don't want to head back without you or Natsu," she said.

He smiled. "I'm honored to be included on that list, but I think you should travel back with the others. I'm not sure how long this errand will take."

"I get the feeling you're not tell me something."

He popped a piece of raw zucchini is his mouth. "Of course—I'm not telling you what the errand is."

"You know what I mean—there's something else. Are you going to try to kill Acnologia?"

"No."

"Do you promise?" she asked.

"Yes." He put the vegetable skewer over the fire and came to sit next to her. "But, perhaps this errand is dangerous and a good luck kiss would be appreciated."

She laughed. "Why do I get the feeling you're trying to take advantage of the situation?"

"Because I am." He cupped her chin and started to lean down.

"Wait." She put a hand on his shoulder. "A lot of things have been happening. I need to talk to Natsu about my feelings one last time before I…" She searched for the words. "Before I move on."

He nodded. "I understand and I can wait. I have been alone for so many centuries that I have forgotten what it feels like to even want another person's company." He went back to the other side of the fire and turned the vegetables.

She watched his face as it was lit with a soft glow from the fire. "Why do you even like me? I understand that I helped you when we travelled back in time, but aside from that, you barely know me."

He shook his head. "I know you better than you think. I was in your dreams for months, remember?"

"How could I forget?" she asked wryly.

He continued. "You're a good person and I haven't met many good people in my life. On top of that, you are honest, brave, and pure of heart. It doesn't hurt that you are also one of the most beautiful women I've ever met. Seriously, I thought so even before you saved my life."

Lucy's blushed. "Thanks."

 _If even half of that is true, then why doesn't Natsu like me?_

Lucy pushed the thought aside. It was rude to be thinking about another man when one had just spoken so openly.

The meal was ready. Zeref prepared two bowls of rice and put the vegetables on top. It was a simple disk but smelled fantastic.

"This is how I've eaten for the better part of four centuries. Easy-to-make meals over an open flame." He used his chopsticks to take a bite.

She took a bite also. "It's delicious," she said.

Their conversation drifted to other less emotional topics. Lucy was surprised by how easy it was to talk to Zeref. They chatted about her friends, the guild, and different jobs she had worked on throughout the years. He told her about the demons he had created in an effort to defeat Ancologia. She had a feeling he might have been filtering the more sordid details of the stories but she didn't mind. There were things in everyone's past that they weren't comfortable in discussing.

By the time they were finished eating, the sun had long since set and the crickets had begun to make their nightly music.

"It's late," said Lucy. "I should head back. I know things aren't great between Natsu and me right now but he'll still worry if I don't make it back to camp."

Zeref agreed and even walked her to the edge of the dragon's camp. There wasn't another attempt at a goodnight kiss—only a simple "good night".

Lucy found Natsu sitting on a large rock, staring at the moon. When he saw her, he motioned for her to sit next to him.

"I'll be staying here tomorrow," he said. "So you should travel back with the others."

"What about Happy?" she asked.

"He should go with you guys as well."

She didn't say anything. She had heard the same thing from Zeref.

Natsu continued. "I can tell you feel bad about kissing Zeref." He turned to look at her. "You shouldn't. I told you I didn't want a romantic relationship with you, so you should feel free to be with whoever you want."

His words were meant to console her, but for some reason they only made her sadder.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world. If some other guy, even if it's Zeref, can give that to you—then I approve."

Her eyes began to sting. Damn, why was she crying so much recently? She reached out to her friend, for what felt like the last time, and buried her face against his shirt.

Natsu stoked her hair. "I'm sorry things are so bad between us Lucy. You've been a very special person in my life. I just… I don't love you and you shouldn't love me."

There was no more hope—no more uncertainty. Natsu didn't love her and she simply had to accept it. She fought back against the tears and mostly managed to succeed. What would it accomplish? She didn't want Natus's sympathy.

"Okay, I understand," she said with a shaky voice.

Natsu held her for a minute before letting her go. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, everyone except Natsu and Zeref was packed and ready to head back. Natsu waved goodbye to everyone, promising them that he would be back as soon as possible.

It was a fifteen mile hike back to the train station so they had to move fast if they wanted to catch the last departing train for that day. For the most part, everyone was in high spirits. Rogue re-told the story about how he had faced the great Zeref in a one-on-one duel. Grandeeny had asked Wendy to come back for a visit and Gajeel had seemed pleased to see Metalicana even if he didn't show it. Lucy tried to not sour the group's mood. Aside from Zeref and Natsu, the only other dragon slayer who didn't plan to travel with them was Cobra and this didn't seem to bother anyone.

They had been hiking for about two hours and were making good time when a scream pierced through the forest. Lucy looked in the direction the sound had come from and saw Carla writhing on the ground. She looked like she was in pain.

"What is it?" asked Wendy.

"A—vision," said Carla. "I saw Ancologia and he was fighting another dragon. It looked like he was killing the dragon."

Lucy's heart sank. "When is this going to happen?" she asked as she fell to the ground next to the white Exceed. "Did you see Natsu?"

Carla stopped writhing and tried to sit up. "No, but I saw Zeref. I think it's going to happen soon. The dragons were flying above the mountain at the dragon's camp."

Lucy cursed. This obviously had something to do with the Queen's _errand_. How could she have been so gullible to have believed Zeref?

"What else happened in your vision? Did anyone die?"

Carla looked up at her. "I don't know. But there was a lot of blood."

Lucy grabbed Happy. "You're taking me back to the dragon's camp. Natsu may be in danger we have to help him."

The little Exceed looked scared. "Aye."


	26. Chapter 26

Happy was so worried about Natsu that he didn't complain once about Lucy's weight as he carried her. They managed to fly back to the dragon's camp in less than an hour. As they approached, they saw the mountain that Carla had described in her vision and sure enough, there was a dragon on top of it.

Lucy's heart sank. She could tell instantly that it wasn't an ordinary dragon. The dragon was black with red swirls along its body which looked like tribal markings. His body shape still had some semblance to a human's—he had a flat nose and muscular arms that sat a bit higher on the body than other dragons. This was a Dragon King.

"It that—" started Happy.

"Yes," she interrupted. "That's Natsu. They must have found some way to turn him into a Dragon King." Somehow, Lucy just knew this statement to be true. She thought back to the stories that Zeref had told her. To create a Dragon King, they needed Brotan's necklace, a dragon slayer to cast the spell, a dragon slayer to become a dragon, and the blood of a hundred dragons. They had everything except the blood of a hundred dragons. Had the dragons sacrificed themselves to create an ultimate weapon? One that would rival Acnologia in strength?

"Happy, you need to get me up there."

The Exceed didn't say anything but changed course for the mountain top.

The dragon's large head turned towards them as they approached. Lucy was terrified that Natsu would attack but the dragon didn't show any aggression. Zeref and five other people were on the ground below them. Happy circled once, perhaps to make sure no one was going to try to kill them, and then landed.

Zeref ran up to her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said angrily.

"Carla had a vision of another dragon fighting Acnologia. What the hell are you planning? You said you wouldn't try to kill Acnologia."

He grabbed a fistful of his hair. "I'm not, Natsu will."

She turned up towards the giant beast and yelled. "Natsu, what are you doing, this is crazy?"

He turned away from her and remained silent.

She turned back to Zeref, furious. "So this is the Queen's great plan? Create a new Dragon King to kill Acnologia? How did you get the blood of a hundred dragons?"

"Each dragon merely donated a couple drops of blood. I had always assumed that dragons had to be killed for their blood to work in the transformation spell but I was wrong. Apparently the Queen has known this for centuries but never told me. That's why she held the tournament—to test Natsu and see if he was strong enough to become a Dragon King. Now that she has her guinea pig, she has finally decided to enlighten me."

She stared at him in disbelief. Another more disturbing thought occurred to her.

"This means that your and Natsu's lives are now linked?"

He remained silent.

"And your lives are linked to Acnologia's? Is this a suicide mission? Will Natsu fight Acnologia to the death? You will _all_ die, regardless of the winner." As she spoke, hysteria crept into her voice until she was practically screaming the last sentence.

He grabbed her arms and gave her a small shake. "We are hoping it doesn't come to that. We're hoping that we can defeat Acnologia and he will return to his human form. Perhaps then I can reason with him."

"But if you can't defeat him—".

She turned towards Natsu again. "How could you keep this from me? We're partners."

Natsu's back was towards her and his ears were lowered. He looked like a puppy that had just eaten his master's shoes.

She looked around at the other people on the mountain top. She didn't recognize any of them. "Who are they?" she asked.

"These are my strongest demons. We're hoping that they will give us the edge in battle."

She laughed. "You'll need it. Acnologia has been a dragon for 400 years. Does Natsu even know how to fly?"

Zeref winced. Apparently she had hit a nerve. "We've been practicing all morning," he admitted. "He's getting close."

He changed the topic. "You really shouldn't be here. The instant we transformed Natsu, Acnologia knew that we had summoned the First. He is undoubtedly on his way." He put something in her hand. "Here, I wanted you to have this in case something goes wrong. I was going to have one of my demons deliver it to you but I guess that won't be necessary."

She looked down. It was Brotan's necklace.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

Zeref shrugged. "I don't know. If we fail, maybe you can think up a better plan."

Her jaw dropped. The urge to smack him upside the head was overwhelming.

The demons all turned—a dragon was flying towards them. Lucy's heart just about leapt out of her chest. As the dragon got closer, she realized it was only Igneel.

"Oh thank God," she whispered.

Igneel landed and approached Natsu. "What's she doing here? I gave you specific instructions that she was supposed to be far away from here."

"What do you mean?" asked Zeref.

Igneel turned towards Lucy. "You need to leave now."

"Don't lecture me. You're standing here, allowing your two sons to go on a suicide mission. What kind of father are you?"

Igneel stomped his foot, clearly agitated. "You don't know what you're talking about. I would sacrifice everything for my sons!" He extended his wings and puffed out his chest.

"Then why are they here today?" she asked.

Igneel lowered his head. "They are not entering this fight with no hope of winning although that is what would have happened if the Queen had her way. I was able to secure a new future right before we were cast into the realm of suspended animation."

"What are you talking about?" asked Zeref.

"Didn't you ever wonder what happened to this eye?" He brought a claw up to the old wound. "When the Queen asked me to start training a new dragon slayer, I knew that she was planning to kill Aaron. I couldn't let her do that so I went on a mission to change the future—I found one of the fates."

Zeref gasped.

Igneel continued. "The fates are blind but they are able to see when they touch a dragon's eye, so I gave them my left eye in exchange for a future where all of my sons could live."

A slow smile spread across Zeref's face. "That's brilliant! Our victory is nearly guaranteed."

"Don't get too cocky. The Fates have merely shifted things in our favor. But, my eye wasn't the only price to be paid. The Fates told me that the woman my son loved would suffer a great burden in his place—and now we've practically served her up to Acnologia on a silver platter."

"But Natsu doesn't love me," said Lucy.

"Damn, I knew there had to be a reason." Zeref looked at Lucy. "Natsu lied—he was trying to protect you. You need to get out of here now!"

Igneel nodded in agreement. "I didn't want Natsu to inflict harm to someone unwittingly. When he was a child, I warned him that someday he would hurt the woman he loved. Diamente cast hr spell before I had the chance to explain things further. When I saw Natsu and you together, I instantly knew you were in danger so I gave Natsu more details about my deal with the Fates the first day I met you. I made him promise me that he wouldn't get involved with you romantically."

Zeref marched over to Natsu and kicked him in the foot. The dragon growled but didn't turn around. "It didn't work you idiot. Just because you tell someone you don't love them, doesn't make it true."

"I should have known that it would be impossible to change fate," said Igneel.

Lucy looked up at Natsu. He was still wouldn't look at her.

Zeref turned towards his demons. "Mard Geer, come here."

A man with long black hair and an aristocratic air approached. "Yes Master."

"You are to take Lucy far away from here and protect her with your life."

"Yes Master." The demon stretched his arms and began to change form. Wings and horns appeared, making him look like a devil. He put his arms around Lucy.

"Wait," she screamed. "Natsu, please talk to me. I might never see you again."

Slowly, the dragon turned around. Large tears that could have filled a bathtub were dribbling down his face.

"Oh God Natsu—why couldn't you have been honest with me? What if I don't get the chance to ever see you again?"

The light surrounding the dragon began to shimmer and a moment later, her old friend was standing in front of her. Lucy wiggled out of Mard Geer's grip and ran into Natsu's outstretched arms.

They kissed.

It was the most deep and passionate kiss that she had ever experienced. With each passing moment, Natsu pulled her closer until she was nearly breathless. In that moment, they were joined together—soul mates.

Eventually Natsu pulled away. It felt like torture. She wanted him to hold her and to tell her everything was going to be okay. They had just found each other. Didn't they deserve some time together?

"I'm sorry," he said. His voice wavered.

"I love you," she said.

He took her hands and held them to his heart. "I love you too. If we survive this, we'll be together, I promise."

Lucy wiped a tear away. She hadn't realized she'd been crying.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you then." She took a step back and another set of arms, black and cold wrapped around her waist. Instantly she was lifted off the ground and flying away.

 _Please be safe Natsu. Please survive this._


	27. Chapter 27

The ground rushed beneath her feet as they flew. In the distance, she saw something flying after them. After a moment, she realized it was Happy. The little Exceed was following them.

The demon landed on another mountain top several miles from Natsu and Zeref. He glanced at his passenger. "I would have taken your further, but you're heavy."

"Why does everyone always say that?" she grumbled. She looked off into the distance. She could barely make out Natsu—he had already transformed back into his Dragon King form.

Mard Geer reached into his pocket and pulled out a spyglass. "Actually, I think this is a good distance. You should be safe and I will be able to watch My Lord." He peered through the lens.

Happy landed beside her. "Are you okay, Lucy?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'm worried about Natsu and Zeref. I can't believe they are going to fight Acnologia."

"Actually, it is only Natsu and the demons that will be fighting. Lord Zeref is unable to fight the beast. He loses consciousness if his life is in danger which it would be if he were to fight Acnologia. That's why he created us demons."

Happy's tail twitched nervously. "Are you guys strong?" he asked.

"Yes." Mard Geer handed the spyglass to Lucy. "I can't believe the Master is so found of you. My entire existence is to please him but he doesn't look at me the way he looks at you."

Lucy took the spyglass. "I'm sure he is very fond of you."

"I am the strongest of his demons. I would have preferred to fight for him in battle. Instead, I have been reduced to a babysitter."

"Aye, and we appreciate that," said Happy.

Lucy looked through the lens. Natsu was trying to fly. He was able to get off the ground, but only for a few seconds.

"Dammit, they don't look ready. Natsu will be at a major disadvantage if he can't fly," she said.

Mard Geer paced anxiously. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be my Master's side," he grumbled to himself.

Natsu was just beginning to get off the ground for more than a minute when a roar reverberated throughout the valley. It sounded like the mountain was falling over.

"Ah, it looks like the party is about to get started," said Mard Geer.

Acnologia raced above them, creating a massive shockwave with his wings. The gust was so strong it lifted Lucy into the air. It took her a moment to realize that she had actually fallen off the mountain's ledge and was plummeting to the ground below.

Mard Geer caught her mid-air and brought her back. Happy had also been tossed off the mountain but had been able to right himself and fly back as well.

When he got back, Happy was panicked. "Natsu's toast! There's no way he can kill that thing."

"He's not trying to kill Acnologia," corrected Lucy. She wanted to be clear on the matter. If they killed Acnologia, everyone died.

Acnologia came to an abrupt stop mid-flight. It was almost as if he had put on brakes and slid to a stop.

"He must have spotted Natsu," said Mard Geer.

Acnologia beat his wings, hovering. He seemed to be considering the situation.

Lucy held her breath. What if he flew away? Maybe Acnologia didn't even want a fight.

He beat his wings a few more times and seemed to make a decision. At a much slower pace, he began to make a wide Arc around Natsu.

"What's he doing?" asked Lucy.

"Probably staking out his surroundings, trying to get a better feel of the situation. He's never met another Dragon King."

Acnologia completed a full circle around Natsu and then stopped again. He spoke, in a loud, alien sounding voice that chilled Lucy to the bone. "What do you want, Dragon King?"

Natsu's voice was also loud, amplified by acoustics in the valley. "To kick your ass!" he shouted.

Ancologia beat his wings. "So you are an enemy? Fine, I will destroy you as you stand." He sped towards Natsu.

Natsu crouched and launched himself towards Acnologia at the last minute. He wasn't quite flying but he was airborne when the two of them collided. It was a tangle of claws, limbs and gnashing teeth.

The two dragons hit the mountainside and began to tumble. Boulders the size of houses came loose in the tussle.

As they fell, one of Zeref's demons flew towards the pair. It was hard to see the figure at such a distance, even with the spyglass, but Lucy thought it was a woman with wings and horns. A beam of light came from the woman's hands and hit Acnologia in the back.

The beast roared. He gripped a rock and skidded to a stop. With his free hand, he swiped at the woman but she dodged the attack.

"The demons have joined in the fight," exclaimed Lucy.

"Of course they have," said Mard Geer with a touch of pride. "We live and die for Lord Zeref."

The flying woman sent another beam of light towards Acnologia. It hit him directly in the chest but he didn't react this time. He released the rock and flapped his wings.

The woman went flying back. The gust from his wings had been too powerful for her to withstand. Acnologia immediately turned his attention back to Natsu, who had fallen to the bottom of the mountain. He appeared clumsy compared to his counterpart. If only he could have had a little more time to train.

Natsu stood up and began flapping his wings. He hovered near the ground, dipping every so often due to instability. Acnologia reacted. He darted down the mountainside and slammed into Natsu. He had Natsu pinned to the ground.

With a mix of physiology that was part dragon-part human, Acnologia began to pummel his prey. It was excruciating to watch. Natsu took blow after blow to the face.

Four more demons appeared, surrounding Acnologia. One seemed to be launching bombs and another released a torrent of sharp spikes. The other two were trying close range combat techniques—a sword and razor sharp claws.

If the demons were inflicting any harm to Acnologia, he wasn't showing it. The Dragon King continued his assault on Natsu.

"This is a blood bath. We have to do something!" shouted Lucy.

Mard Geer grabbed her arm. "You are to do nothing. Lord Zeref was very clear."

"But what if they die?"

"Lord Zeref is prepared for that possibility."

The calmness of the demon was infuriating. If he hadn't been holding her arm, she would have punched him.

Happy began to tremble. "Natsu, please get up. Do something," he cried.

Lucy yanked her arm away from Mard Geer. He let her go and looked back at the battle. He wasn't really interested in her—she was just a pet that his Master had asked for him to take care of. She took a few steps back then turned.

As quietly as possible, she pulled out the necklace Zeref had given her.

 _All dragons feel it when the First is summoned._

She could summon the First—she knew it. This was the sacrifice that Igneel had mentioned. This was the thing she could do save Natsu and Zeref's life.

 _At a great cost._

She didn't care. She finally understood. This was what she was meant to do.

Lucy gripped the necklace, and summoned Brotan.

 _Bigdream3r: Hello all! Thanks again for the reviews. I didn't realize there were so many Zeref fans reading this but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The comments have made me interested in writing a fluff piece about Zeref and Lucy. In the past, I've mostly written fluff pieces and those have actually gotten the best reviews. This was my attempt at something closer to an actual novel which I think attracts a smaller audience. I'm going to think about the Zeref and Lucy fluff piece. Right now I am trying to write an original novel so I don't have a lot of time to devote to it but it could be a lot of fun._


	28. Chapter 28

Mist swirled around her and began to take form. Mard Geer noticed something was happening and approached. "What the hell? Get away from that." He tried to pull her away from the spirit that was beginning to take shape.

They were interrupted by a roar so loud that loose rocks fell from the mountain.

Acnologia had noticed them. He stopped his assault on Natsu and turned towards them.

"Uh oh," said Happy.

"Temple of Thorns!" shouted Mard Geer.

Thousands of thick thorns suddenly grew from the ground and wove their way around Lucy and Happy. They were inside a protective shell.

The thorns blocked out most of the sunlight except for few beams which gave Lucy the chance to see the Spirit that was still forming

Brotan was a white dragon, similar to the Queen but he did not appear to be albino. Flecks of gold accented his body.

Zeref had been accurate when he stated that Brotan was more like a Ghost than a Celestial Spirit. He did not have a solid form—half of his body was actually outside the thorny barrier and half was inside.

He stared at the human who had just summoned him, curious. His head turned when Acnologia released another roar.

"Aaron," he said in a sad voice.

Brotan turned his head back and had a concerned expression. "You are either very brave or very stupid." He spoke with an eerie calmness. It seemed that the dead didn't have many worries.

It was good that Mard Geer was trying to protect her. This would buy Natsu the time he needed to regroup and defeat Acnologia.

"Aaron will be here any minute. There is nothing I can do to protect you. Maybe once when I was alive…" said the spirit.

"I know. I just wanted to give Natsu a chance"

"Then you are prepared to die?" He stared at her another moment. "Wait, what is that on your belt?"

Lucy's hands instinctively reached for her keys. "My Celestial keys."

"How many do you have?" he asked with growing excitement.

"All twelve."

"Child, this is fate! The Gods have intervened on your behalf for this cannot be a coincidence!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"If you destroy those keys, you can give me solid form."

Lucy stared at him, horrified. "But—but I cannot destroy my keys. This is how I summon my spirits to this world. Without my keys, I won't be able to see my friends."

"And you won't be able to see your friends if you're dead either! Quickly, destroy the keys and say my name after each one is broken."

Was this her destiny? Death might have been less painful but it wasn't just her death that she had to worry about. She had no doubt Acnologia would go after Zeref and Natsu as soon as he was done with her.

A loud boom shattered her concentration. Something enormous had just crashed into the mountain. The fight had started.

"Okay!" she shouted over the noise. She picked up a key at random and stared down at it. It was the key of the water bearer—Aquarius's key. A lump formed in the back of her throat and she snapped the key in half.

"Brotan!" she shouted.

She reached for another key. It was the key of the Bull—Taurus. "Goodbye old friend," she whispered. She broke the key.

"Brotan!"

Tears were streaming down her face but Lucy continued to break her most cherished possessions—the bound between her and her spirits.

Cancer... "Brotan!"

Scorpio…"Brotan!"

Virgo… "Brotan!"

Loke… "Brotan!"

One after another, the bonds with her friends disappeared.

Sagittarius… "Brotan!"

Aires… "Brotan!"

Lucy paused and looked at the First. "Is anything happening? You don't look any different."

"We don't have much time, please continue!"

What if he was lying to her? Lucy didn't know this spirit at all. She could be sacrificing her friends for nothing.

"How can I trust you?" she asked.

Something heavy slammed into the thorn barrier. The walls bent from the force but held.

"We don't have time for this. You just have to trust me!" shouted the First.

Lucy pushed her fears aside. This just had to work.

Gemini… "Brotan!"

Capricorn… "Brotan!"

A black claw the size of a horse pierced the enclosure and ripped away a section of thick thorns. Lucy stared out at Acnologia. The upper half of Mard Geer's body was sticking out of his mouth—his dead eyes were open wide as if he were shocked that the beast had defeated him.

Pisces… "Brotan!"

She picked up her last key and looked Acnologia square in the face. "This is for Natsu you son of a bitch!" She snapped the last key—Libra. "Brotan!" she shouted.

The entire sky turned black and then lightening flashed, showing velvety clouds. Lucy could feel the magic everywhere—it rushed through her body and poured out of her in every direction. It hurt worse than anything she had ever experienced.

It felt like something popped inside her head and then there was red-hot searing pain. Something inside of her had burst. Tunnel vision took over and she began to fall. As if in slow motion, she could see the ground coming towards her but her body couldn't brace itself. Her head hit the ground.

She was dying. Her thoughts were becoming sluggish and confused.

In the darkness, a shadow emerged.

Bortan stretched his jaws and roared. The sound was proud, majestic and strong. With the grace of a mythical hunter, he unwrapped his wings and stood tall. The father of all dragons had just been reborn and he was ready to fight.

 _Please let me stay alive long enough to see this._

Acnologia stopped attacking the thorns and hissed. Brotan lunged at him and sank his teeth into the monster's neck.

The pain in Lucy's head was getting worse. Some part of her knew that going to sleep wasn't a good idea but she couldn't fight it anymore. She closed her eyes.

She had finished something important for the man she loved. It was a comforting last thought.


	29. Chapter 29

People were arguing. Lucy opened her mouth and tried to tell them to be quiet but her tongue felt dry and thick. She coughed.

"Wait, I think she's waking up."

She opened her eyes. Natsu and Zeref were peering down at her with concerned expressions.

She had another small fit of coughs. "What happened?" she asked.

The two men looked at each other.

"What?" she asked again.

Zeref began. "You've suffered a case of apoplexy, which today is more commonly referred to as a stroke. This often results in physical disabilities, loss of memory, and emotional changes. I've used my healing spell on you, but the symptoms of apoplexy are not always something that can be healed."

"So, what's wrong with me?"

"Perhaps nothing—do you know your name?"

"Lucy Heartfilla."

"Your birthdate?"

"March 7th."

Zeref relaxed a little.

"Is that good?" she asked.

"Yes."

Zeref continued asking questions and did a couple physical tests. Lucy was able to answer all his questions but a few of them seemed to take a longer than they should have. The delay was so slight, that Zeref didn't seem to notice but it made her uneasy. Natsu watched quietly.

Zeref finished his last test. "I don't see any lasting damage."

"Thank goodness. That was lucky, huh?" she said.

"Yes." He suddenly became stern. "Because what you just did was extremely dangerous. We're lucky you're not dead. The type of stroke you had has a 50% mortality rate."

She felt the tips of her ears get hot. "But it was worth it, right? You're both still alive."

"Yeah," said Natsu. He shifted slightly, putting himself between her and Zeref. "Brotan was incredible and fought Ancologia on even ground. I was eventually able to fly and joined the fight. Once that happened, Brotan gathered energy and cast the spell that made Acnologia human again."

She looked at Zeref. "So… you have your brother back?"

"Yes, although I almost lost him. Once Aaron returned to human form, several dragons who had been watching the fight from afar attacked him. Igneel jumped in and stopped them but I'm furious with the Queen. Dragons don't often go against her so I think she might have been behind the attack. Anyways, we were able to put Aaron in magic binding handcuffs and we have him locked in the dungeon below."

She looked around. "A dungeon? Wait, where are we?"

"I've obtained another castle, not far from my previous one."

"I hope you didn't kill the owner."

"No, he is still alive," he said with a small grin.

Lucy pictured the dungeon. Somewhere not far from her, a man who had lived as a monster for 400 years was sitting in a dark room with shackles. "Is your brother remorseful?" she asked.

Zeref's expression became flat. "No, although that may improve with time. I think he needs to remember what it's like to be human."

Zeref's eyes had become bright when he mentioned his brother. He saw Lucy watching him and cleared his throat. "Don't worry about my brother right now. We need _you_ to focus on getting better. After all, Natsu is now a Dragon King. We're going to need you to get stronger and summon the First again to undo the spell."

Lucy's eyes widened and she looked at Natsu. He scratched his head and laughed nervously. "You forgot about that, huh? Don't worry—I have complete control over my actions. I'm not going to go crazy and start destroying villages anytime soon." He looked over at Zeref. "Actually, considering how dangerous it was for her to summon the First last time, I'm wondering if we should even _try_ to undo the spell."

Zeref pursed his lips together. "We've already discussed this. Although you are stable now, humans aren't meant to yield that much power. It would be better for everyone involved if we can remove the Dragon King curse from you once Lucy is strong enough to do so."

Natsu frowned. "What if this is just a plan for you to spend more time with Lucy?"

"This isn't some ploy to steal your girlfriend. Lucy loves you and not me— I can accept that and move on. Once the spell has been undone, I will collect my brother and you will never see us again."

For some reason, Zeref's words stung. He was right, she did love Natsu, but there had been something special between them. She looked away.

Natsu was watching Zeref closely. "I guess I believe you," he said reluctantly.

"Well, I hope so because I don't think you're going to be keen on my next suggestion."

"What's that?"

"I think it is best that I lock you up in my dungeon also, just until we are able to reverse the Dragon King spell. You seem to be stable now but Aaron went through a period of stability."

Lucy reached out and touched Natsu's arm. "I'll work really hard so that I can summon Brotan and change you back. Please do what he asks in the meantime."

"No, I don't want to leave you alone with him." He glared at Zeref. "If I start to lose control, then I'll agree to be locked up but I feel completely fine right now. You said your brother was already distraught before he became a Dragon King, right? I'm not distraught. Hell, I'm the happiest I've ever been." He wrapped an arm around Lucy.

"I don't really have time to argue with you about this. I'd like to start training with Lucy and I'd also like to spend some time with Aaron. I know half the world would like to see him dead but he's still my brother. Do what you want, but just realize that if you _do_ lose control, you're putting Lucy at risk. She is the only one who can summon the First and stop you if the dragon inside you takes over. If that happens, I'll ask Lucy to try and stop you which might kill her. You don't want that on your hands, do you?"

Natsu looked away. "That's not going to happen."

Zeref was about to respond but Lucy suddenly remembered something. "Wait!" she exclaimed.

She fumbled at her side. "Where are my Celestial Keys?"

Zeref and Natsu exchanged concerned looks.

"Don't you remember?" said Natsu.

Lucy thought back to what she had done. It had been dancing at the edge of her memory like a dog scratching at the door, but she had pushed it away.

"I—" she began. She stopped, suddenly overcome with fear. She looked at Natsu and she could see his eyes beginning to brim with tears.

"I destroyed all my keys," she finished.

The words hung in the air. They were too awful—too horrid to possibly be true. Had she really destroyed the part of her that she cherished above everything else—her bond with her spirits?

The realization of what she had done began to trickle into her, filling a well of despair.

"Oh god," she whispered. She clasped her hand over her mouth. "They're gone. I've lost my friends."

Zeref's raised a finger. "Actually, I don't think that's true."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"All you did was transfer power from your keys to Brotan so that he could have physical form. I believe we could do something similar to bring your spirits back. Once you summon Brotan to undo the Dragon King's curse, you should be able to transfer Brotan's energy back into your spirits. Actually, that reminds me…" Zeref reached into his pocket and pulled out Brotan's necklace. "This is essentially worthless now. When you gave Brotan physical form, you didn't bind him to an object so he is actually bound to you. If we are able to transfer the energy back to your spirits, we can bind his ghost back to this necklace and it will be as if nothing ever happened."

Lucy listened carefully. "Is there a way to bring my spirits back without making Brotan lose his physical form?"

Zeref raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, he's kind of like one of my Celestial Spirits now. I don't want to take his physical form away from him."

Zeref sighed. "I don't think you will ever be strong enough to give your Celestial Spirits back their physical form without taking the energy back from Brotan. I would do it for you, but using that much energy would probably trigger my deathwave. You will need to make a choice."

She shook her head. "Can't you think of anything else?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, I can consult some of my old books and see if there is another way to gather large amounts of energy but I don't know if you'll like what I find. We're talking about magic that is unbalanced. The results often fall into black magic which I know you're not a fan of."

"Well, just take a look and let me know if you find anything. If there's a way to get my spirits back without taking away Brotan's physical form, I'd like to try to find it."

 _Bigdream3r: Oh my goodness you guys. I am so embarrassed. I had the wrong chapter 3 in here for 2 months. Thank you Moon Stone Tiger Lily for catching that! I feel the whole story didn't make sense without that chapter. *face palm*_

 _I had to post another chapter to explain myself._


	30. Chapter 30

After resting for three days, Lucy felt she had almost made a full recovery from her stroke. Zeref had suggested she take it easy for a couple days before she began her training and she had readily complied. Although Zeref's healing spell seemed to have done the trick, Lucy had noticed a few things that made her nervous. For one, she was tired all time—so tired that she didn't mind staying in bed all day. For another, gaps where beginning to show up in her memory.

These lapses weren't major, but little things like the names of old acquaintances or things she had done on previous missions seemed to have grown foggy.

While she had been bedridden, Zeref only come to see her once. He had only stayed briefly and asked a series of questions—where was she born, what foods did she like, ect. He had also inquired about Natsu's whereabouts but Lucy hadn't been able to give him a good answer. Although Natsu visited her every day, there seemed to be long stretches that were unaccounted for. She tried not to let this bother her. After all, she had been sleeping so much that she was probably sleeping right through his visits.

Zeref's absence also saddened her but she pushed those feelings aside. She was in love with Natsu so continuing a close relationship with Zeref would be selfish. Besides, she knew Zeref was probably busy trying to rehabilitate his brother or searching for information about gathering magical energy.

Lucy heard footsteps coming up the tower's staircase and glanced at the clock. It was almost 11pm—where had Natsu been all day?

The door opened and she could tell that Natsu was trying to be quiet. He took off his shirt and pants so that he was wearing nothing but boxers, and then slid into bed next to her.

Lucy inhaled softly. He smelled faintly of sweat. He had definitely been doing something physical.

"Hey there," she murmured as she rolled over.

Natsu curled up behind her. "Ah, you're awake."

"Yeah, what were you doing?" she asked.

"Getting a little workout in."

"I can tell."

"Why, do I stink?"

"No—well you smell like sweat but it isn't a bad smell." She snuggled closer to him.

Natsu's arm pulled her closer. "I like the way you smell too, especially right now. Were you thinking of me?"

"Actually, I was. How would you know—" Lucy stopped, completely horrified. "Wait, what do I smell like?"

Natsu nibbled on her ear. "Like Lucy, it's great."

"Does my scent ever… change?" she asked.

"Yes." Natsu's hand ran along the curve of her hip and she shivered. "It's changing right now."

"Ug, that's disgusting. Stop smelling me." She tried to scoot forward to put some space between the two of them but Natsu pulled her back.

Lucy felt betrayed by her body. Had she ever felt… enticed around Natsu before? Her mind poured over their past interactions.

Natsu moved from her ear down to her neck. Whatever he was doing, felt _good_.

"We shouldn't do this," she whispered. "This is Zeref's home."

"Fuck that guy." Natsu's voice became sharp and gravely. His open hostility was jarring.

"He's trying to help."

"I can't wait to get away from this place—did you know the forest just outside of this castle has turned completely black?"

"No," she said weakly.

"Zeref's worried about me being stable—meanwhile, he practically a ticking time bomb."

Lucy was quiet for a moment. She was wondering what had set Zeref off so that he had unleashed his deathwave. She'd only known him to unleash it once—when they had traveled back in time. In that instant, he had been newly cursed and had just accidently killed his friend so a lack of control almost seemed inevitable. Was he really more unstable than she thought?

Natsu rolled her onto her back and climbed on top of her. "Let's stop talking about Zeref." He kissed her firmly, forcing her mouth open with his tongue.

Any attempts that Lucy had made at telling her body to settle down were failing to pieces. When had Natsu become so goddamn sexy? Had he always had those chiseled abs and wide back? Everywhere he touched her seemed to delight her senses.

His body pressed firmly against hers and Lucy's adrenaline spiked when she felt something firm pressing against her nightgown.

She broke their kiss. "Natsu, I think we should take a break." What he was doing felt great but she didn't want to take things to far while they were a guest in Zeref's home.

He looked at her and his eyes had changed. The pupils had lengthened and the irises and grown, filling his entire eye.

He didn't move.

"Natsu, can you please back up?" Lucy's voice rose an octave.

His lips parted and Lucy could see that all of his teeth, not just the canines had lengthened and become sharp. A forked tongue flicked across his lips.

"Natsu, you're beginning to scare me." She tried to move her arms. He had them pinned to either side of her head.

His head lowered towards her breast and his tongue flicked out, tracing the thin fabric. He released one of her arms and grabbed the collar of her nightgown. In one quick motion, he ripped a piece of the fabric off.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed. Her fear had skyrocketed into full blown terror. Natsu was gone. Some sort of monster had taken his place.

With her free hand, she slapped him in the across the face.

Natsu hissed at her but didn't back away. Mustering up all her strength, she punched him in the nose. It was awkward since she was lying down and couldn't get force behind the punch, but his head jerked back.

Lucy waited to see how he would react.

Several moments passed and she held her breath. Finally her heard Natsu's real voice.

"Lucy?" he asked. "What happened?"

Natsu looked down at her and she was relieved to see that the whites of his eyes had returned.

"Oh thank god. Can you get off of me?"

Natsu looked down and blinked in confusion. He brought his hand towards his face and did a double-take when he saw the ripped cloth in his hand.

"What the hell? Why am I holding this?"

He was still on top of her and she wanted him off…immediately. She started to edge her way up so she could crawl out from underneath him.

"What happened? Oh no! Lucy, did I…" his voice trailed off.

"Yes, you were an asshole," she finished.

He rolled off her and she sprang to her feet. She walked to the other side of the room on shaky legs and stared at him.

"I'm—I'm sorry," he stammered.

"Please get your things and leave. I'm really upset right now and would like some time to myself."

Natsu ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I didn't mean to do this. You have to let me explain."

"We can talk tomorrow. Right now, I want you to leave."

Natsu gave her one more pleading look but something in her eyes told him that she was serious. He walked to the corner of the room and picked up his pants and shirt, then left.


	31. Chapter 31

The next morning, Lucy had made a decision. She was going to tell Natsu that he should allow himself to be locked up by Zeref. If he didn't comply, she would have no choice but to stop seeing him. She knew that Natsu would never intentionally harm her but his aggression last night had been too terrifying and she didn't want to be put in that situation again.

She waited nervously for Natsu to visit her but her only person to drop by that morning was a servant bringing her breakfast. Frustrated, she decided to go for a walk around the castle's courtyard. She had been cooped up for several days and the fresh air would make her feel better anyways.

Zeref's second castle was even more beautiful than his first. Two hummingbirds were drinking from purple flowers growing along the castle's walls. Lucy was so enthralled by them, she almost bumped into Zeref.

"Oops, excuse me," she said as she stopped right in front of him.

Zeref had been reading a book while walked. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there." He closed the book and looked up at her.

They stared at each other for an awkward moment.

Thoughts of confiding in Zeref about Natsu's abhorrent behavior flashed across her mind but Lucy bit her tongue. She wanted to give Natsu the chance to do the honorable thing and agree to confinement first. Besides, she didn't think Zeref would be pleased to know the details about what had happened last night.

"I see you're out of bed. Are you sure you're feeling strong enough?" he asked.

She blinked. "Oh… yeah, I'm feeling a little better."

"Well, that's good to hear." He gave her a small smile. "I've been reading up techniques for creating massive amounts of energy. I haven't found anything that is promising yet unless you'd like to sacrifice a couple humans."

Lucy's shoulders slumped. "Oh, that's not helpful."

"Yeah, I know. But I'll keep looking."

They stood for another moment.

"So, how's your brother doing?" she asked.

He sighed and frowned. "Well, he's eating now—I suppose that's something. It was two days before he would even take a sip of water. It's actually taken a toll on his health—he's losing a lot of weight."

Lucy wrung her hands together nervously. "So, how much do you think his transformation into a Dragon King affected his mind?"

Zeref touched her arm. "I know you're worried about Natsu and to be honest, I am too. But trust me, I don't want to spend another 400 years chasing another Dragon King." He gave her a reassuring smile. "There's a few things working in our favor. For one, Natsu is much more stable than my brother was. For another, we already know how to undo the curse. We just need to get you trained up and then we'll have this whole thing straightened out. Try not to worry too much, okay?"

"Okay," said Lucy.

"Master! Master!" One of the servants was shouting as he ran across the courtyard.

Zeref rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said as the man approached.

"We found someone snooping around outside the castle walls. We tried to stop him but he's too powerful, he's taken out six of our strongest mages." 

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, but he's breached the front gate. He sounded drunk."

Zeref shook his head. "He's drunk and he took out six of my strongest servants? I am very disappointed in all of you." He turned to Lucy. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to continue our conversation later. I'd like to take care of this." He gave her a slight bow and began heading towards the front gate.

Lucy watched him leave. As he walked away she heard the servant speak to him. "But Master, we think he's a dragon slayer!"

The last statement piqued her curiosity. Had one of her friends made a drunken attempt to rescue her? She jogged to catch up. "Wait, I'm coming!"

"I'd prefer if you didn't, it may be dangerous."

"But I just heard your servant mention that the attacker may be a dragon slayer. I don't want you killing any of my friends."

He sighed. "I won't kill any of your friends. You'd be surprised by how often this happens. I'll just scare the crap out of this guy and send him on his way."

A loud boom interrupted them. Smoke was rising from the direction of the front gate.

Zeref began to jog. "Damn, it looks like I need to hurry before I become homeless again. This really is bothersome. If you come, stay out of my way. I don't want you getting mixed up in this."

She nodded.

When they turned the corner, Lucy realized that she didn't need to be worried about any of her friends getting hurt.

The intruder was Cobra.

He was standing in a pile of rubble, panting. The bodies of six servants were lying on the ground near him.

"Zeref!" he screamed when he saw the man approaching him.

Zeref paused briefly, and then continued walking towards him.

"I know what you did. Did you think I would just let you go?" said Cobra. He swayed slightly.

"You can't win this fight. You know that."

Cobra turned and looked at Lucy. "No, but I can get revenge. You took someone I care about away from me, now I'm going to take someone away from you!"

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" He opened his mouth and a stream of poison came rushing out towards Lucy.


	32. Chapter 32

Zeref released a giant fireball and easily deflected Cobra's poison attack. The heat from the spell made Lucy bristle even though it was never within 20 feet of her location. The spell also had the unfortunate side effect of making a large hole in the castle's wall.

In an instant, Zeref closed the gap between himself and Cobra. With a quick punch, Cobra was sprawled out on the ground.

And like that, it was over.

Cobra's lip trembled and he began to cry. There were heavy, silent sobs that shook his whole body. Zeref stood over him, watching the spectacle.

Everyone stood like that for a long time. Finally Zeref spoke. "I understand why you want to hurt me. I shouldn't have let you read my mind at the tournament. I'm sorry."

Cobra rolled over and rubbed his forehead against the ground. "Is that all you're sorry for? How about killing my fucking father?!"

Lucy gasped. So that had been the exchange between the two of them?

Zeref kept his eyes trained on the man in front of him. "Your father was a wicked man. He killed an entire town just to summon me. After I arrived, I was so distraught but the mass loss-of -ife that my deathwave was activated. He died instantly."

Cobra looked up at him. "So that's your story? An accident? I don't hear any remorse in your thoughts."

The two men stared at each other for a long time—it seemed that Zeref was letting Cobra listen to his thoughts. Emotions were racing across Cobra's face as his ears twitched. Finally, he turned away and moaned.

"I barely even remember my father," he said softly. "My mother took me away from him when I was just a child. She told me that he had gone mad but I didn't care. I believe that if we stayed with him, he would change."

"A wonderful thought, but I can assure you that he didn't change," said Zeref.

"Lucy!"

Everyone turned and saw Natsu running towards them. "What happened here?" he asked as he approached the rubble.

"This man just stormed my castle and tried to kill Lucy," said Zeref. His tone was flat and matter-of-fact.

Natsu's pupils narrowed to slits and his iris's enlarged. "What the hell, is that true?" he growled.

"Damn, what's happened to you?" Cobra's eyes were instantly wide when he saw Natsu approaching. "Your thoughts are..." he trailed off and began to back away.

Natsu bent over and picked him up by the collar. In one swift motion, he punched him across the face. A gush of blood and teeth flew out of Cobra's mouth and he hit the ground. Natsu went to punch him again but Zeref tackled him.

The two men were rolling around on the ground but Lucy wasn't watching them.

She couldn't take her eyes of Cobra.

In an instant, Natsu had done incredible harm. Cobra's jaw wasn't just broken, it had been pulverized. His chin seemed to be hanging loosely from the cheek bone. Cobra's eyes were looking around wildly.

She turned towards the two men fighting on the ground. Natsu had managed to get on top of Zeref but Zeref was gripping his arms, trying to prevent him from attacking.

"Natsu, please stop!" she cried out.

"Do what she says," said Zeref. "If you keep this up, you'll activate my deathwave and kill her."

Natsu froze. He sat there, breathing heavily for a few moments before his eyes finally turned back to normal. Slowly, he got off Zeref.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Zeref was looking at him with shock. The fact that the Killing mage was surprised—maybe even scared—was a bad sign.

"I wasn't expecting that reaction from you. Once you're calm, I think we should have a talk about your… temper."

"You mean, locking me up in up in your dungeon?"

Cobra was beginning to make hysterical wails. Zeref pointed at him. "Look at what you did. There was no reason to do this to him. He wasn't a threat."

Natsu looked at the man on the ground and winced.

Zeref knelt next to Cobra and used his healing spell. Lucy exhaled in relief. No one should have to suffer like that—even for a minute.

"I'll do it," said Natsu.

Zeref turned his head around quickly. "What?"

"I'll let you lock me up in your dungeon—we don't need to talk about it. I was going to suggest it anyway."

Zeref stared at him and then slowly nodded. "Good. You're making the right decision."


	33. Chapter 33

The four of them walked to the underground dungeon. Cobra was in shackles but Zeref hadn't tried to restrain Natsu.

The dungeon had four cells all in a single row. Lucy could hear someone moving as they entered.

"Who's in here?" asked Cobra. "His thoughts are insane."

There was the sound of metal chains dragging across the floor. They sounded heavy.

"The dungeon is getting crowded," mumbled Zeref.

They walked past the first and second cells. They were empty.

Zeref opened the door to the third cell and motioned for Cobra to enter. "I'm not sure what to do with you yet but at a minimum, you need some time to cool off."

Cobra entered and Zeref shut the door behind him.

Lucy was staring at the fourth cell at the end of the corridor. In that room was a man who had nearly driven dragons to extinction, ended a war, and leveled cities. What would he look like?

From the shadows, a pale face emerged. The resemblance to Zeref was uncanny but there were some notable differences. Aaron's hair was longer for one thing—the black locks were matted and his bangs covered half his face. His eyes were his second most distinguishing feature. Perhaps it was because she knew what he was, but they seemed animalistic. After peering a moment longer, she also began to think that they seemed bit sad.

Aaron stared at them a long time—no one spoke.

Finally, he lifted his hands and gripped his cell's bars. "Is that one a female?" he asked motioning towards Lucy.

Zeref stiffened. "Yes, her name is Lucy."

"I stopped noticing the difference between male and female humans some time ago, but I can tell the difference now." He pressed his face to the bars and stared at here intensely. "I like the shape of her body."

Zeref stepped in front of her, blocking Aaron's view. Natsu hit one of the steel bars, making it ring loudly.

Aaron blinked and looked at him. "Ah, you are the Dragon King," said Aaron wistfully.

"Yes," said Zeref. "He is also our brother. Igneel adopted him."

Aaron looked at Natsu and then back to Zeref. "I have no family."

"That's not true. Igneel and I still love you and we will always be your family." Zeref turned and walked into the second cell, picking up a pair of shackles and holding them out to Natsu. "You'll have to wear these otherwise you won't truly be incarcerated. These will prevent you from using magic." The chains were long so they wouldn't restrict Natsu's movement within the cell, but they were attached to the wall, serving as an additional layer of security.

Natsu hesitated. "God, I hate this."

Lucy touched his arm. "Please," she whispered.

Natsu sighed and went into the cell. He held out his hands as Zeref put the cuffs on his wrists.

Cobra laughed. "It's seems your emotions are getting the better of you Lord Zeref. You forgot to block your thoughts from me."

Zeref glared at him with open hostility. "Shut up."

Cobra was either still too drunk to notice the anger in Zeref's voice or he didn't care because he continued. "I don't think Natsu is going to be happy to find out what you've been think-ing," he sang.

"What's he talking about?" growled Natsu.

Cobra lied down on the small bed in his cell. "The Dark Lord is imagining how nice it would be to keep you locked up indefinitely—then he may have a chance with your woman."

"I knew it!" Natsu grabbed his chains and tried to yank them from the wall but they held.

Zeref scowled. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to cause problems."

"Oh but it's true," said Cobra. "You saw the black forest, didn't you Natsu? Poor Zeref has been absolutely distraught these last couple days. His emotions became unbearable and he had to run from the castle to cry his little heart out." He sat up and peered out at Zeref. "I must say, this is a new side of you My Lord. I didn't know you could be this sensitive? I've always thought you were… well, a psychotic killer." He finished the last statement with a cruel smile.

Lucy was trying to see Zeref's face but he wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"But…" continued Cobra. "Our favorite villain in black isn't the only person with secrets. Tell me Lord Zeref, do you know why Natsu agreed to be locked up?"

Lucy's heart sank. She stole a quick look at Natsu and saw him grow pale as well.

"Don't—" said Lucy.

"Because he nearly raped Lucy!" Cobra said triumphantly.

Everyone in the room froze for a moment and then all hell broke loose.

Natsu screamed at Cobra. "Shut the hell up. You lie!"

Zeref's eyes flashed red and he staggered. "I need to get out of here." He took a step and then knelt to the ground.

Natsu was pulling his chains and yelling but Lucy focused on Zeref. If he didn't gain control, he was going to set off his deathwave again. She knelt down beside him. "It's okay," she said. "Nothing happened. Natsu was able to regain control. He's trying to do the right thing." She reached out and held his hand.

Zeref was panting but Lucy's words seemed to be working. He took a few deep breaths and eventually the red left his eyes. When he had finally calmed down he stood up. He tightened his grip on Lucy's hand and pulled her out of the dungeon. Natsu was yelling behind them but Zeref didn't stop.

When they were in the open air, he turned to her. His eyes were wide and wild but at least they were black. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Well, I don't think you really want to know. But like I said, he didn't rape me."

Zeref pulled her into an embrace. "Please don't stay with Natsu—choose me. I'll do anything."

She let him hold her as her emotions swirled around her. If she was honest with herself, she was beginning to feel doubt—doubt that she belonged with Natsu. Cracks were forming in their relationship before it had barely begun.

He pulled back and lifted her chin. "You feel something for me, don't you? I know you must—I've felt it before."

She looked up at him, unable to speak. It would be cruel to encourage him any further. She had to sort out her feelings before she acted on them.

He leaned down to kiss her but Lucy turned her head. "I should go back. Natsu needs me now."

"Don't let that be the only reason you stay with him." He held her wrist, stopping her from leaving. "I'm not going back in there—at least not tonight. If I see that man, I just might kill him."

Lucy wondered if he was talking about Cobra or Natsu. "It's fine if you don't go back, but I'd like to say goodnight to Nats."

"I don't like the idea of you being down there without me. Please be careful."

"I will."

He let go of her hand and walked back towards the tower.

She watched him go, a shadowy figure in setting sun.

Back in the dungeon, Natsu was anxiously waiting. "What did he do?" he asked as soon as she entered.

"Nothing, let's just drop it, okay?"

"I can't. What if this is part of his plan? You heard what Cobra said— Zeref was thinking about keeping me in here. He's in love with you."

"It was just a thought. All sorts of things pop into people's heads. That doesn't mean they're going to act on them."

"Still, I don't want you anywhere near that guy."

"That isn't going to work. I need to train with him or else I'll never be strong enough to summon the First and undo the spell that made you a Dragon King."

Chains rattled. "You were the one that summoned Brotan?" It was Aaron, he was peering out from his cell.

She looked away. She wasn't trying to be rude— it was just that Aaron creeped her out. She didn't want to discuss anything with him, much less the part she had played in turning him back into a human.

"Stay here," said Natsu.

"What?"

"Just for tonight. There's an bed in that empty cell over there. You can leave the door open and spend the night there."

"And what purpose would that serve?" Lucy eyed the cell nervously. She didn't like the idea of staying near Aaron or Cobra, even if they were confined to cells.

"At least this way I'll know that Zeref isn't trying anything."

Lucy was beginning to get exasperated. "He's not going to come into my room in the middle of the night and ravish me."

Natsu's lips pressed into a tight line.

"Oh God, that's what you think, isn't it?"

He didn't say anything.

"Fine. I'll stay here tonight but just one night. You're going to have to trust me sooner or later." She walked over to the cell and began lifting blankets. They were old and had holes in them but they didn't seem too dirty. It looked like the dungeon hadn't gotten too much use until recently.


	34. Chapter 34

Lucy was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of chains rattling. She opened her eyes and looked around her little cell. At first, she thought someone might be in the room with her but after a moment she realized that it was just the shadows being cast by the candle at her bedside. The dungeon was completely underground and she wasn't blessed with dragon slayer night-vision so she had left a small flame burning.

She got out of bed and peered around the corner. Natsu was sound asleep.

The chains moved again and her adrenaline spiked. The sound was definitely coming from the forth cell at the end of the corridor.

 _It's okay. Aaron has been locked down here for four days. He's probably just going to the bathroom._

Still, her curiosity was in overdrive. There was no way she was going to go back to sleep unless she could see confirm that everything was okay with her own eyes.

Slowly, she got out of bed and picked up her candle. As quietly as possible, she began to walk down the dungeon's hallway. The cell doors and stone masonry was even scarier than she had remembered.

Her pace slowed as she approached the third cell. Cobra was there, sleeping on his side. She took a deep breath and kept walking.

By the time she reached the forth cell, her progress was almost unnoticeable. She was practically inching her way to the last cell. Finally, she reached the chamber and peered inside.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the bed. The blanket was rumpled but no one was there.

 _Holy crap!_

Something rustled and Lucy's eyes shifted to the opposite side of the cell.

She exhaled in relief.

The former Dragon King was standing with his face towards to corner. With a trace of disgust, Lucy realized that her first thought had probably been right—he appeared to be urinating.

She started to head back then paused—maybe she should take another peek just to be safe.

She turned around and was startled to find herself peering directly into a set of dark eyes.

Lucy blinked and took a step back but she was too late. Aaron's hand shot through the bars and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey," she cried out. She looked down and felt her knees go weak.

The cuffs that Aaron should have been wearing to restrain his magic were missing. Looking at his hands, it was obvious what had happened. His thumbs were red and crooked. Using shear force, he had yanked the cuffs off and broken the digits.

"Natsu!" Lucy tried to move back but Aaron had a strong grip even though he didn't have complete use of his thumbs. "Let go of me!" she screamed.

"Lucy! What's happening?" It was Natsu. He had woken up but couldn't see her given the angle of his cell.

She tried to yank her arm back again and this time she was successful. The sudden release of Aaron's grip sent her sprawling to the dungeon's ground. She sat there panting for a moment, not able to respond to Natsu's shouts.

She looked at the bars of Aaron's cell. They were made of the same magic binding metal that the cuffs had been made from. They should hold.

"Lucy, are you okay? Talk to me!" Natsu was pulling on his chains and screaming for her.

"Yeah," she called out. "I'm okay. Aaron grabbed me but I got away. He's out of his chains but he's still in his cell. She stood up and began walking for the dungeon's exit. "I'm going to get Zeref."

Something wrapped around her neck and pulled her towards the third cell. Cobra had found an extra set of chains in his cell and had used them rope her in. When she was close to his cell, he grabbed her arms and held her firmly.

"Damnit, what are you doing? Let go of me." She glanced over at Aaron's cell. The former Dragon King was kicking the bars.

"Aim for the wall!" shouted Cobra. "It's made of quartz. It absorbs magic but isn't completely immune to it."

Aaron changed gears and began punching the wall right next to the edge of the bars. By his second punch, rocks were beginning to crumble around the metal frame.

"Why are you helping him?" yelled Lucy. "Don't you know who he is? He's a maniac—if he gets out, people are going to die." She struggled to get out of Cobra's grip but he held her tightly.

"Yes, and that blood will be on Zeref's hands."

So he was still trying to get his revenge, even if it meant innocent people might die. Cobra was a bigger villain than she had originally believed.

There was a loud crash and part of the wall near Aaron's cell came falling down. He stepped over the rubble and grabbed Lucy.

"Get the hell away from her," screamed Natsu.

"Your brother is on his way," said Cobra. "I can't read his thoughts but I can read the thoughts of his servants."

Aaron glared at him. "You said these walls are made of quartz, correct?"

Cobra's eyes widened. "Yeah."

Aaron picked up a sharp piece of stone from off the ground and then walked over to Natsu's cell, pulling Lucy behind him. He put the edge of the stone to Lucy's neck. "Stand next to the cell door and put your hands behind your back or I'll kill this woman," he said.

Natsu was punching the bars but he stopped moving the moment Aaron raised his makeshift blade. "Okay. Just don't hurt Lucy." Natsu put his hands behind his back.

Aaron lowered his arm and jammed the chiseled stone into Natsu's stomach.

Natsu looked shocked. He gripped the wound and fell to the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed.

Something cold passed over the room and despite the scene of her bloody boyfriend on the ground in front of her, Lucy paused.

"Damn," whispered Cobra. "That was Zeref's deathwave. All his servants are… dead."

Aaron looked down at Natsu. A pool of blood was beginning to form around him.

Natsu tried to talk. "Lucy… I'm so sorry. If you can save yourself… do it." He coughed and stopped moving.

"Oh God, Natsu!" screamed Lucy. His chest was still rising and falling so he was only unconscious but it didn't look like he would survive much longer."

She turned to Aaron. "If you kill him, you'll kill your brother. How can you do that? Don't you care about your brother at all?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he turned to Cobra. "Can you hold the woman? If you do, I will release you."

Cobra nodded. "Yes. I'll help you."

Aaron handed Lucy over to Cobra who gripped her through the cell's bars. Aaron then walked up the dungeon's steps.

"What's he doing?" she asked. Now would have been a good time to have Cobra's ability to listen to thoughts.

A few minutes later, Aaron came back down the dungeon's staircase but he wasn't alone. An unconscious Zeref was draped over his shoulder. The despair of the situation was overwhelming. In less than two minutes, Aaron had managed to take out Natsu, Zeref, and all of Zeref's servants in the immediate area. It was entirely possible that they were all going to be dead before the night was over.

Aaron carried Zeref to the first cell and reemerged a few minutes later with a set of keys in one hand. He closed the cell door and then walked back to the second cell where Natsu was lying unconscious. He pulled out a wine bag that had been used for the prisoners' water and began gathering some of Natsu's blood. When he had gathered enough, he put the cap on and then put a hand on Natsu's stomach.

"Sana," he whispered.

A green aura shimmered across Natsu's body and he moaned.

"Oh thank God," said Lucy.

Aaron walked towards the third cell where she was being held by Cobra. He spoke to Cobra first. "I know I said I would let you out of your cell, but I won't let you kill my brother."

Cobra smiled up at him, revealing two pointy canines. "That's not a problem. I no longer want to kill your brother—there's other ways I can get my revenge."

"How's that?"

"By helping you be reborn as a Dragon King."

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. Was that even possible? Whether it was or wasn't, Aaron seemed satisfied with Cobra's answer. He unlocked his cell and the two men were soon standing in the dungeon's narrow hallway. Cobra's lifted his hands and Aaron unlocked his cuffs. As Aaron inserted the keys, Lucy noticed that his thumbs had healed. He must have used his healing spell while he was outside gathering Zeref.

Next, Aaron removed the chains from Cobra's cuffs and put the metal bands on her wrists. She wasn't bound by the cuffs, but they would prevent her from using magic. He also searched her and took her two remaining Silver keys and Brotan's necklace. "Let's go," he said when he had finished removing the items.

Cobra pulled Lucy towards the dungeon's exit. On their way out, they passed Natsu and Zeref's cells. Both men were beginning to stir.

"Wait!" said Zeref.

Aaron had just taken his first step up the dungeon's staircase but he paused and turned back.

"Yes, brother?"

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work. You don't have the blood of a hundred dragons."

Aaron lifted his wine bag. "The blood of a hundred dragon's is running through that Dragon King's blood. This will be enough."

Zeref moaned and rolled over. "But the woman—if you force her to summon Brotan, it may kill her. Please don't do this Aaron. She is important to me."

Aaron paused. "If possible, I'll let her live but I'm going to go through with this one way or another."

"You've only been human for three days—you were a Dragon King for 400 years. Give your humanity a chance. You're dangerous as a Dragon King. The man I knew would never do something to put so many lives in danger."

Aaron starting walking back up the stairs. "You should give up on me brother. I've already given up on humanity."


	35. Chapter 35

The three of them moved quickly through the night. Aaron and Cobra took turns carrying Lucy over their shoulders. It was a painful way to travel but she wasn't going to make things any easier on them by being a willing travel companion. It was possible that someone would come looking for her and being closer to the point of abduction meant they would have a smaller search radius.

Aaron seemed to have the same thought. At one point, he cast a scent removal spell, ensuring that anyone with keen sense of smell wouldn't be able to follow their trail.

The two men didn't stop moving until the next morning.

"We can rest here," said Aaron. He motioned to a level spot next to a river.

Cobra nodded. "I'm going to see if I can find something to eat." He slipped off into the forest.

Lucy sat on the ground while Aaron washed his face and drank from the river. She watched him closely, trying to understand what kind of man he was. Some of his mannerisms seemed feral; for example, he had stopped to urinate at one point during their trip and hadn't made the slightest attempt at decency. Of course she had turned away when she realized what was happening but she would have appreciated a little warning.

On the other hand, Aaron had proven that there was a cunning mind beneath his matted hair. He had taken down two of the strongest mages in the world, and he didn't even have the use of his Dragon King magic anymore. He was definitely dangerous, but perhaps he could be reasoned with.

"Why do you want to become a Dragon King? Is it the power?" she asked.

Aaron sat up and looked at her suspiciously. "No, although I suppose the power is nice." He wiped some water off his chin. "It's simply better than being human."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I hate everything about this form. I hate the way my mind works. I hate the way my body feels." He paused. "I have a few memories of what it was like to be a human. Everyone I loved—died. My parents, my wife, my unborn child… There was nothing but war my entire life. The things I saw… I know you probably think I'm a monster, but I can assure you, humans are the true monsters. There was nothing evil about being a Dragon King. I simply existed. It was as close to bliss as I ever came."

"But you killed thousands of people."

"From what I've seen, I was probably doing the world a favor."

He stood up and walked over to her. "Being back in this form has done several things to confirm my hatred of humans. Do you know how my wife died?"

Lucy swallowed hard. "No."

"She was raped and murdered, simply because men desired her. That is how human's act." He looked down at her. "Now I'm human and the thoughts going through my mind disgust me."

Lucy didn't like where the conversation was going so she decided to stop asking questions.

Cobra emerged from the brush a few minutes later with a rabbit. He looked between her and Aaron but didn't seem disturbed by thoughts he was picking up. He calmly took a seat and began skinning the rabbit. "So, Aaron is it? I don't think we've been formally introduced but you should know that I can hear thoughts so I feel like we've already become close friends."

"We're not friends."

Cobra shrugged and kept working. "So, it sounds like we're already pretty close to being able to turn you back into a Dragon King. We have the blood of a hundred dragons…" He motioned to the wine bag at Aaron's hip. "We have a dragon slayer who wishes to become a Dragon King…" He nodded towards Aaron. "And a dragon slayer who is willing to cast the spell." Cobra touched his chest. "We also have access to Brotan but I don't think our little princess is going to be a willing participant."

"I suspected as much."

Cobra began assembling some wood for a fire. "Well, what do you think we should do about that?"

Aaron raised his hand and a flame appeared. Cobra stepped aside and Aaron sent a small burst of fire towards the woodpile. The kindling caught fire and began to burn. "I haven't figured that out yet."

"Thank you," said Cobra, motioning to the camp fire. "Well, I think I know a way to get our little princess to cooperate, but it's going to take a couple days prepare. Are you okay with that?"

"If you can truly get her summon the First, than I am willing to work with you but we should hurry. I suspect my brother will find some way out of that cell."

"Excellent." Cobra smiled, revealing his two canines again. "And just so we're clear, don't try anything crazy with me. I don't particularly like the idea of helping a demon, but if it will make his big brother gloomy for the next 400 years, I can live with my decision. Besides, being immortal sounds fun."

Aaron looked away. "It's not as fun as you think."


	36. Chapter 36

The next day, they entered the small town of Black Rock. Aaron tore some of the material off his robes and wrapped it over Lucy's cuffs. He was such a mess that the torn clothing did little to lessen his appearance. Lucy was given instructions to be quite, or else innocent civilians would die.

"I'm going to need to gather a few supplies and do a little research at the local magic library," said Cobra. "We might as well get a room at an Inn for the night".

Aaron grimaced. "I don't like being around all these people."

Cobra patted him on the back. "It's just for a few days buddy. Relax."

They found an Inn and agreed that Aaron would stay in the suite with Lucy while Cobra ran his errands.

While Aaron was looking around the second bedroom, Lucy whispered to Cobra. "Why do you keep leaving me alone with him? He keeps staring at me."

Cobra smiled. "I seem to have found the weakness of the Dragneel brothers."

Lucy glared at him and his smile faltered.

He cleared his throat and made a more serious expression. "I think you'll be okay but I can understand your concern. I'm used to hearing sexual thoughts but our former Dragon King is in a league of his own. I think he's not used to having a human body. While I'm out today, I'll see if I can pick something up that will help the situation."

She had no idea what he was talking about… a chastity belt perhaps?

Cobra closed the door behind him on his way out. Lucy and Aaron were left sitting on opposite queen beds.

Aaron was the first to speak. "Do you _want_ to have sex?"

"No." Lucy squirmed, trying to press her knees more firmly together.

"I didn't think so."

It seemed that Aaron was a ball of nervous energy. He stood up and walked over to the window. He peered out for a minute and then began pacing around the room. Suddenly, he stopped short. "I'm going to try to get some sleep," he declared.

He looked around the room and found some rope that was being used to tie the curtains back. He took it and bound Lucy's wrists to the bedpost. When he was done, he stepped back and looked at her.

"Damnit," he cursed. "This is no good. Why did Brotan's spirit have to be bound to a woman?" He stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Lucy held her breath for a minute but he didn't return. She exhaled loudly and tried to relax. Aaron definitely wasn't stable. If she found a chance to escape, she would need to take it. Tentatively, she tested her wrists. The rope that Aaron had used to secure her was decorative; it wasn't meant for tying heavy loads or holding women captive. Perhaps she could loosen it?

She began working her wrists in small circles. Sure enough, the rope began to loosen. After a couple minutes, her hands were free.

She sat up and looked around the room and spotted a window. With gentle footsteps, she walked towards it and unlatched the locks. There was a soft "click" the made her heart skip a beat. She paused. Nothing happened.

Lucy positioned her hands underneath the windows edge and took a deep breath. With controlled force, she lifted. The wooden frame crackled and popped as the window began to lift but it wasn't too loud. With a little luck, Aaron wouldn't hear her.

The sliding window stopped. Lucy silently cursed and examined the six inches that she had available to work with. There was no way she would squeeze through that opening. She needed at least another two.

She adjusted her grip and pressed against the window's edge.

Nothing happened.

She pressed a little harder.

Suddenly, the window jerked and rose four inches. There was a loud _screeeeeetch_ as the window slid.

There was no way Aaron missed that sound unless he truly _was_ asleep. As quick as a bunny in a carrot patch, Lucy hopped out of the window and began running.

A door opened and slammed shut. She glanced behind her.

Of course it was Aaron.

She hadn't been able to outrun the last Dragneel who chased her down, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. She picked up the pace.

"Hey, get back here!" shouted Aaron.

 _D_ oes _he actually think that's going to work?_

Lucy ran down the cobbled street, weaving in and out of the mid-day shoppers. People looked up, confused as she ran past. To them, she probably looked like a thief.

By the second block, she stole another glance back. Aaron was running after her, but he was having trouble. Every time a person stepped in his path, he became flustered. It was almost as if he thought the people passing had cooties.

It occurred to her that she might actually pull this off. She was approaching the edge of town—

there was a wide canal, and then forest. If she could just make it to the forest, she had a decent shot at losing Aaron.

She ran along the canal and passed underneath a tree where a boy was climbing.

"Hey lady, why are you running?" he called out.

She ignored him but a few seconds later, she heard a splash. She turned back in time to see the boy flailing in the water. He didn't appear to be a good swimmer.

Lucy ran a few more strides and glanced back again.

 _Damn it, why can't he swim?_

She stopped and stared at the boy who was clearly struggling. There was no one else around. If she didn't help him, he could drown.

As luck would have it, Aaron's frame appeared from around the corner at that moment. He spotted her and began running towards her.

Lucy only had a split instant to make a decision—should she try to save the boy, or should she try to save herself.

Of course she had to help the boy.

She began running straight at Aaron. When he saw her approaching, his eyes widened and he actually slowed down. She was clearly confusing the hell out of him. By the time she was within twenty feet of him, Aaron had actually slowed down to a walk.

"Have you decided to turn yourself in?" he asked.

Lucy veered off to the left, jumped off the canal's ledge and did a perfect dive into the water. She reached the boy's location before she even needed to resurface.

The boy was a young teen and panicked enough to be difficult. Thankfully, Lucy only had to pull him a couple feet back to the canal's ledge where they were both able to grab one of the thick wooden beams along the canal's side. Unfortunately, the water was more than an arm's length below the ledge and it was impossible to get out without help.

"Get me out of here!" screamed the boy.

"Relax," said Lucy. "Just hold onto siding and someone will be along to help you soon enough. You're not going to drown."

"That's not what I'm scared about," said the boy. "A tiger-squid was seen in the canal this morning. That's why I was in the tree. I was trying to get a look at it."

Lucy's head spun around. The water looked calm but it was murky. The monster could be anywhere if it was still in the canal.

Aaron's head came into view over the canal's edge. "Were you trying to save this boy?" he asked.

"Yes, isn't that obvious? Get us out of here."

Aaron lowered an arm and the boy reached for it. He was about a foot too short so Lucy tried to hoist him up.

Suddenly, a tentacle about as thick as her leg sprang out of the water and wrapped around the boy. He was lifted in the air and then disappeared beneath the water's surface.

"Oh no!" screamed Lucy.

"Quick, give me your hand," said Aaron. He strained so that his arm was as low as possible.

She ignored the outstretched hand and dove beneath the water's surface. She had to get the boy back up to the surface soon or he would drown.

She swam in a circle around the area where the boy had been—nothing. Hopefully the tiger-squid hadn't taken him out to the river the connected to the canal.

Her lungs were burning. She resurfaced.

"What are you doing?" asked Aaron. "Give me your hand now. There's some sort of creature in the water."

"I know, but I have to get the kid."

She dove back into the water. Almost instantly, she felt something thick and strong wrap around her waist. The tiger-squid squeezed.

Through the murky water, an eye suddenly appeared. It was eerily similar to a human's in that it had a white sclera and a black pupil, except this eye was the size of a baseball. She reached out and poked it.

Instantly she was lifted up in the air. Lucy tried to take a quick breath but crashed back into the water before she had time to do so. Instead, she sucked in water and gagged.

The feeling of suffocation was terrifying. She had once heard that the most fearful ghosts were the lost souls of the drowned and now she understood why.

There was a rush of heat and the tentacle around her waist suddenly went slack. She began to kick and then realized that she didn't know which way was up. She forced herself to pause and could feel her body begin to drift—that direction was the surface. Lucy reoriented herself and was breathing air a moment later.

The scene up above was bizarre.

Aaron appeared to be gliding along the surface of the canal. On closer inspection, Lucy could see clouds of vapor around his feet.

The tiger squid's body and tentacles were partially exposed. The beast still had the kid wrapped up in one of its limbs. Lucy tried to see if the kid was okay but the movements were too fast for her to focus. The squid was trying to swat with a tentacle Aaron but he was weaving too quickly for him to land a blow.

A whip of fire lashed out and sliced the tentacle holding the boy. He fell into the water and Lucy swam to him. Grabbing him, she pulled him to the ledge. He was conscious but groggy and his lips were blue.

Once they was clear, Aaron let loose a fire fist that hit the squid in its main body. A mass of flesh and tentacles went flying through the air and landed on the other side of the canal. The squid lay on the grass, occasional twitching. There was a large singed mark on its torso where Aaron had hit it.

Aaron dusted off his hands, seemed pleased with himself. He glided over to the two of them and with a quick motion, hoisted Lucy and the boy back up onto grass.

Something was wrong. The boy's eyes were now closed.

"What happened? I thought he was awake a minute ago." Lucy leaned over him, pressed her mouth to his, and began to breath.

A small tongue darted into her mouth and she jerked back.

The teen was smiling up at her impishly.

"What the hell?" she asked.

Laughter erupted and she turned to see where it was coming from. Aaron was sitting in the grass with one arm draped over his knee and another around his stomach. He was laughing hard enough to make his body shake.

"You can't fault the boy for taking advantage of the situation," he said through a brake in his outburst.

"Oh yes I can."

The boy sat up, still smiling. He turned to Aaron. "Hey mister, that was awesome. You must be a powerful mage. How do you walk on water?"

Aaron got control of his laughter. "It's a trick my brother and I learned when we were probably about your age. We're fire magic users. The secret is to heat up the water near your feet and create a temporary cushion of vapor that you can balance on. I haven't done this in centuries. I forgot how fun it is."

The boy's eyes widened. "Cool!"

He smiled. Somehow, his whole face changed when he smiled. He almost looked like a normal human being.

"Well, thanks for saving me. I thought I was a goner."

Aaron's smile faltered a little.

Lucy was much too tired to try another escape attempt and she didn't want to get the boy involved. "Well, we should probably head back, don't you think?" she asked Aaron.

Aaron nodded and they stood up. The kid thanked them again and ran off. Aaron stared at him after he was gone.

"That was a nice thing you did for him," she said.

"What?"

"You saved his life," she said.

"I don't think so. I was trying to save yours."

"No, I was already free when you cut off the tiger squid's tentacle. You didn't have to help him."

Aaron was quite. He seemed to be deep in thought.


	37. Chapter 37

Aaron's mood became noticeably more sullen as he and Lucy walked back to the Inn. Lucy watched his expressions closely.

 _What's gotten into him? He seemed almost happy earlier._

Cobra was already back at the room by the time they arrived. "Where were you? There was talk around town about a man and a woman running through the streets."

Aaron waved his hand as if he were annoyed. "She tried to escape but as you can see, I was able to apprehend her."

Cobra gave him an annoyed look. "You're brother has spies everywhere—word of this could get back to him." He picked up a little brown bag. "On a positive note, I got everything I need for the spell so we don't need to stick around town. I suggest we change locations. There's a place not far from here that's more isolated. We can make it there tonight and cast the spell first thing tomorrow morning."

"Already?" asked Lucy.

Cobra smiled at her. "Yes Princess. I can move quickly when I'm appropriately motivated."

He reached into the brown bag. "I picked up a few additional supplies." He handed Aaron a magazine with a scantily clad woman dressed in a bikini on the cover. "Here, take this and spend a little _alone-time_ in the bathroom. It will make everyone more comfortable."

Aaron took the magazine and stared at it blankly.

"This is your idea for helping his… condition?" asked Lucy.

"Yes. In some ways, he's like a teenager. He needs to get used to his body again."

Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Cobra reached back into his bag. "And I got something for you too." He pulled out a gray poncho.

"What's this for?" asked Lucy.

"I thought it would help if you covered up a little."

She considered telling Cobra that a woman's wardrobe wasn't responsible for her sexual safety but it seemed like it would have been a waste of effort. Besides, maybe she would feel a little more comfortable if she dressed like she was going to the North Pole. She took the poncho and it put on.

She looked at Aaron. "Is this any better?"

Aaron stared at her for a moment, and then walked out of the room.

Cobra was watched him leave with a confused expression. He turned towards Lucy. "What happened today?"

"What do you mean?"

"His thoughts have changed drastically." He fell quiet for a moment, listening. "He's thinking… "I've probably killed hundreds of people, just like that boy". What does that mean?"

 _Ah, so Aaron's beginning to feel regret for his actions as a Dragon King. That's a good sign, right?_

She shrugged. "I don't know."

Cobra narrowed his eyes. "I can hear your thoughts, remember? I better go talk to him. It sounds like he's considering suicide—or even worse, backing out of our deal."

"Suicide?"

"Don't worry. One of the benefits of hearing a person's thoughts is that I am pretty good at talking them off a ledge." He gave her a wink and headed after Aaron.

So Aaron was beginning to feel regret for the lives he took while he was cursed? That meant he may be reconsidering his plan to become a Dragon King. Perhaps he could be reasoned with but it would be difficult to do with someone as manipulative as Cobra whispering in his ear. If she was going to get through to Aaron, Lucy would have to act fast. She had less than 24 hours until Cobra would try to cast the Dragon King's curse.


	38. Chapter 38

The location where Cobra wanted them to cast the spell turned out to be a small cottage about half a day's journey from town. They arrived just before sunset.

"This reminds me of my childhood home," said Aaron. He walked around the building, inspecting it from the outside.

Lucy remembered the cabin that she and Natsu had explored in Zeref's memories. He was right; this was a similar home—small and rustic.

"This actually _was_ my childhood home for a few years," said Cobra. "We used to live in a grand castle with red towers and large gardens, but after my mom and I left, this was all she could afford. I haven't been back here in years."

Lucy remembered Zeref's first castle and its unique red towers. She felt a little sick realizing the connection.

They ate a small dinner and went to bed early. There were two small bedrooms in the cabin so Lucy slept in one and the two men shared the other.

Her wrists were tied to the bedpost and the mattress was made of straw so it was next to impossible to get comfortable. She feigned sleep when Aaron entered her room and sat on the edge of her bed.

He sat there for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and reflexive.

"So you are in love with the Dragon King Natsu?"

She paused, not sure if she wanted to reveal that she was in fact—awake. However, she had been hoping for a chance to talk to Aaron without Cobra nearby and this would probably be her last chance.

"Yes."

"In the dungeon, the poison dragon slayer said that Natsu tried to rape you. Is that true?"

She swallowed. "Yes."

"But you forgave him? Why?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment. "Well, because I know that Natsu wouldn't ever really do something like that under normal circumstances. I think his personality was altered by the Dragon King's curse."

"I wonder if that's true," he said softly. "It's been so long since I was human. It's hard to remember but… I don't think I was the type of man who would kill a person."

His head dropped as if he were looking at his hands. "The things I've done—they're starting to upset me. I'm starting to wonder if it's better that I end my life."

"It's normal to feel regret. Now that you recognize that you've done something wrong, you can try to atone for it… as a human. I know you've committed atrocities that can't be undone, but maybe there is hope for redemption."

"Redemption? Do you honestly think a miserable being such as me can be redeemed?"

"Perhaps. I think you could be in your brother's eyes at least," she said.

"My brother said that you were special to him. What did he mean?"

Lucy shifted. Her arms were sore from being restrained for so long. "I've only known your brother a short time, but we… got close quickly."

"Were you romantically involved?"

She decided to be honest, even if it was uncomfortable to admit. "There was something between us, but I'm in love with Natsu."

Aaron shook his head as if he was confirming something. "The poison dragon slayer is trying to convince me to turn you into a Dragon King as well."

"What!?" Lucy forgot to speak in a hushed tone and tried to sit up. "Why would he do something like that?"

"I was upset last night. Seeing the young man who we rescued from the canal made me realize how precious a human life can be. I began to doubt that I should become a Dragon King. As I was pacing in the bedroom, that man—Cobra entered and began to tell me things—things that I wanted to hear but deep down, I knew weren't true. He told me that if I made you a Dragon King, we would be together and you would keep the darkness away."

"He's probably trying to find another way to hurt your brother. I don't think having another Dragon King around would prevent you from killing again."

He nodded. "Possibly—that seems to be what motivates him. The thing is… I almost believed him. I've been so alone these last 400 years. There was no one to talk to. It was so easy to forget my humanity and be consumed by primal instincts. Turning you into a Dragon King was a very appealing idea." He turned around and his eyes looked tired. "But then I remembered what my brother said to me. He said you were important to him. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have."

He reached to his side and pulled out a knife.

Lucy's body tensed. "Please don't" she said.

Aaron lifted the knife towards her wrists. "Relax—I'm letting you go." He cut through the rope and Lucy tentatively stood up.

"Thank you," she said.

He nodded. "I don't have the key for your cuffs but I'm sure my brother will be able to help you get those off. I'm sure he's looking for you now. It won't be hard to find him."

Lucy hesitated, and then gave him a small hug. He seemed so sad; in another lifetime she would try to help him but right now, she had to help herself. She glanced at the bedroom's window. That would probably be the best way to leave—she was getting pretty good at climbing out windows anyways.

She took a step towards the window and was suddenly overcome with the urge to sleep. Why was her body so lethargic all of a sudden?

Aaron's eyes widened. "What's that smell?"

"Wha-at do you mean?" Lucy swayed. She was actually feeling a little drunk.

Aaron pulled his collar up over his nose. "There's something in the air. We're being poisoned!"

She slumped to the ground.

Aaron took a couple steps to the window and tried to open it. He managed to unfasten one of the locks before he stumbled to the ground.

At that moment, Cobra stepped into the room. "You shouldn't have gone against me," he said as he looked down at Aaron.

It was the last thing Lucy saw before she lost consciousness.


	39. Chapter 39

Lucy and Aaron's hands were in magic-binding cuffs and secured behind their backs. They sat on the ground outside the cabin, watching their captor.

Cobra walked around them, busy arranging items for the Dragon King's curse. There was Brotan's necklace which he pulled from a brown bag and put on the ground in front of Lucy. Next, he pulled out a glass jar. Inside was a spider, about two inches in length. It had a cross-shape design on its body that changed colors from cool blues to fiery oranges. It was hypnotizing to watch.

"Whatever you're planning—it's not going to work. I can't summon Brotan even if I wanted to," said Lucy.

Cobra shifted his gaze from the spider to her. "We both know that's not true. Remember, I can hear your thoughts."

Aaron started to stand up but Cobra moved quickly and forced him back to the ground.

"Don't try anything," he warned. "Even you're not a match against me without your magic."

"My brother said summoning Brotan might kill Lucy. Have you found some way to safely summon the First?" ask Aaron.

Cobra got the wine pouch that was full of Natsu's blood and set it in front of Aaron. "No, unfortunately your new playmate will either summon the First, or die trying."

Aaron kicked out in frustration. "Dammit dragon slayer, why are you doing this? If you want revenge, why not just kill me?"

Cobra remained calm, and knelt down so that he could stare into Aaron's eyes. "Because I'm going to hurt that son-of-a-bitch deep. You are Lucy are the only two things Zeref cares about and it's going to torture the hell out of him." He stood back up and rubbed his hands on his pants.

"But Lucy's a good person. How are you going to feel if you end up killing her? You don't want to live with that guilt—trust me."

"Well, let's hope she's gotten a little stronger since the last time she summoned Brotan."

He picked up the jar back up and walked to Lucy. "Here's how this is going to play out. This is an Imperium Spider." He shook the little jar. "They are extremely rare but I was able to pick one up on the black market yesterday. This little guy is going to force you to obey my every command, at least for a couple minutes. I'm going to make you summon Brotan and transfer his energy back into the necklace. Once that's done, Brotan will be a ghost instead of a physical spirit. He won't be able to ignore my commands and I'll be able to cast the Dragon's King curse by myself."

Lucy closed her eyes. So this was how he was going to force her to summon the First? Perhaps she could resist the spell long enough to ensure her death instead of being forced to take part in his plan. After all, she had almost died the first time she had summoned Brotan.

Cobra shrugged, seeming to hear her thoughts. "Zeref will be devastated if you die _or_ if you become a Dragon King, but I hope you make it through this alive. You never know, you might enjoy being an immortal."

Aside from her own dark destiny, there was another thing that dismayed Lucy about Cobra's plan—transferring power to the necklace would mean that most of the power inside her would be lost forever and she wouldn't be able to bring her Celestial Spirits back. Furthermore, she would lose the ability to undo Natsu's curse.

"You're an asshole," she muttered.

"I've been called worse." He pushed her to the ground and straddled her hips. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a plastic tube that was about a foot long and an inch in diameter.

"Wait, what are you doing to do with that?" she asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he put his hand over her nose, forcing her to breathe through her mouth. The instant her mouth opened, he began shoving the tube down her throat.

"Stop it!" yelled Aaron.

The tube scraped the back of her throat. Once it was down, Cobra reached for the glass jar.

 _Oh hell no! He's going to put that thing in my mouth?_

With a little coaxing, Cobra was able to get the spider to travel down the tube. Soon, she felt thin legs scraping the back of her throat.

Lucy began twisting and bucking her hips. The thought of a spider crawling around inside her was possibly more terrifying than death.

"Stop moving!" said Cobra.

Lucy rolled over and began to gag.

"Dammit, why isn't it working?" he asked.

Lucy felt a sharp pinch in the back of her throat. The spider had just bitten her.

Cobra must have either picked up on her thoughts or seen something in her eyes because he smiled and seemed to regain some composure.

"Stand up." His voice had the authority of someone who knew they were going to get exactly what they wanted.

It was as if she was a passenger inside her own body—each of Lucy's legs found their footing and soon she was standing.

"Good, now don't move unless I tell you to do so." Cobra walked around her, unlocked her cuffs and removed the rope that had bound her wrists.

Lucy stood frozen. She could see Aaron watching her from the corner of her vision. He looked horrified.

"Excellent, now pick up Brotan's necklace."

Lucy did as she was told.

"When I say "transfer Brotan's power", I want you to summon the First and repeat these words _—_

' _Brotan, I command you to return to the relic from which you once were bound. Return to the necklace Faralee created from your bones and teeth and do not return unless summoned by the one who holds this relic'_."

He paused and licked his lips. The fear in his eyes did nothing to sooth hers. "Lucy, I command you to transfer Brotan's power!"

She could feel the tingle of magic begin to build up inside of her.

"Brotan, I summon you!" she shouted.

White mist formed and began to swirl around her. It seemed to gather and thicken until it was a solid mass.

The wave of power was overwhelming and she stumbled. Instinctively, she opened her chi-lines and let the power flow through her. She no-longer sought to control the magic, only gentle guide it—this seemed to help ease the pain.

"Summoner, are you alright?"

Lucy tried to look up. Her vision was blurry but she was able to make out white and gold wings. Brotan was standing before her like a legend pulled from a book.

She couldn't answer him. She wasn't even sure if could remain conscious. Still, she wasn't dying. That was a good thing, right? "Brotan…" she began, "I command you to return to the relic from which you once were bound."

There was a roar that made Lucy's knees weak and startled the birds from their resting place among the surrounding trees. "No!" yelled Brotan.

Despite her fear and resistance, Lucy continued—Cobra's spell wouldn't allow her to relent. "Return to the necklace Faralee created from your bones and teeth and do not return unless summoned by the one who holds this relic."

Instantly, Brotan's form seemed to shimmer. His wing began to stretch towards the necklace in her hand. It appeared as if he were turning to sand and be sucked up by the relic.

 _Oh God, I need to stop this._

But there was nothing Lucy could do. She could feel the power pouring out of her.

There was a shout and through blurred vision, Lucy saw Aaron throw a punch at Cobra. Flames where coming out of his fist. Somehow, Aaron had managed to get his cuffs off again. The blow had taken Cobra by surprise and he flew out of her field of view.

A few moments later, arms lifted her and placed her on the ground. Aaron's face came into view.

"Lucy, can you hear me?"

She stared back at him. The magically energy was still pouring out of her and into the necklace.

Aaron furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt."

He leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers. Hot air escape his mouth and filled hers, scorching the back of her throat.

At first, she couldn't speak but tears welled up in her eyes. Then suddenly, she felt control of her body come back to her. Aaron had killed the spider.

But there was still great pain. She clawed at her throat.

Aaron lifted a hand towards her neck. "Sana," he said.

Instantly, she felt relief as a green mist shimmered over her body.

"Poison Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Cobra came up behind Aaron and swiped at him like a tiger clawing its prey. Streams of poison mist trailed his fingertips. Aaron blocked the attack and began fighting Cobra again.

Lucy now had control over her body but there was nothing she could do to stop the magic that was pouring out of her. Brotan's necklace had reached its limit and the rest of the magic was disappearing into the space around her. It was as if a damn had burst and couldn't be contained.

Her mind flashed to the conversation she had had with Zeref. He had said that the spell for re-bonding with her spirits was relatively simple except finding a way to gather the necessary energy.

Well, she had a lot of magical energy now—the energy needed to fill Brotan's necklace was only a fraction of the energy that had been available in his physical form. In theory, all she had to do was think about each of her spirits and then transfer the remaining energy into a corresponding summoning object. It was essentially the same thing she had done when she had given Brotan his physical form— but reversed. The only problem was that Lucy didn't have her keys. She needed twelve objects now if she wanted to have any hope of seeing her beloved spirits again.

She looked around her. There was some debris scattered around the cabin. Her eyes landed on the empty jar that had once held the spider.

 _Aquarius._

Instantly the power began to flow towards the little jar. The aura of the power changed also. It seemed… annoyed… but perhaps pleased as well. It was definitely Aquarius.

 _It's working!_

Lucy's eyes searched her surroundings for other objects. There was a comb sitting on a bench.

 _Cancer._

Again, power began to flow towards the comb. The aura took on a relaxed feeling, reminiscent of Cancer's personality.

Excited, Lucy began to find other objects around her and one-by-one, she transferred her spirits to each of them. For Taurus, there was an old shoe buckle and for Aires, there was a discarded bandana. Scorpion was a rock about the size of a billiard ball and Pisces was a bucket sitting next to the well. A stick reminded her of Sagitarius's arrows and an old dish was Libra. Lastly, there was a small knife for Capricorn and a twin set of acorns for Gemini.

Lucy was exhausted and could tell that didn't have much energy left. Still, she couldn't take a break. Every second that was spent not actively engaged in created summoning objects for her celestial spirits was a loss. She had to push through.

She looked at the ground and saw the rope that Cobra had used to help tie her hands. It reminded her of someone's perverted tendencies—Virgo.

A scream ripped through the forest and Lucy looked up. Cobra was sitting above Aaron, holding a bloody knife.

"Aaron!" shouted Lucy.

Aaron moaned and rolled over. Cobra wiped his mouth and stood slowly.

Seeing Aaron injured had disrupted Lucy's concentration. Magic poured out of her, lost to the surrounding world. It had been the last of her energy and she hadn't gotten to summon her final spirit—Loke.

"Damnit," cursed Cobra. "This isn't what a wanted." He threw the knife to the ground and began to pace. "What am I going to do?"

Lucy edged her way towards Aaron. Cobra seemed too distracted to notice her.

Aaron coughed and blood splattered across his lips. His complexion was even more pale than usual. The corners of his mouth curled up in a pained smile when he saw her. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I wish I had a chance to find that redemption you were talking about."

Lucy took his hand. She could feel tears beginning to well up inside of her.

"I know I have no right to ask this, but do you think you could give me one last kiss? I've grown quite fond of you."

She sniffled and tried to smile. Gently, she leaned down and kissed him.

As their lips touched, Lucy felt Aaron exhaling gently into her mouth. Her eyes widened—he was pouring more magical energy into her. The energy reignited the spirit energy that was just beneath her surface and seemed to roar to life.

She pulled back and looked at him.

"That is all I have," he said. "Maybe it will be enough."

His eyes closed and he lost consciousness.

The magical energy that Aaron had given her seemed to pulse inside her. She had never felt more powerful.

She searched the ground and her eyes fell to a pile of trash that was just a few feet away. There, amongst food wrappers and moth-ridden linen, was the magazine that Cobra had bought for Aaron—a nudie magazine. It was perfect for Loke. Lucy directed a piece of the energy surging through her there.

Within seconds, the last of Lucy's spirits had been assigned a summoning object.

There were footsteps behind her and she spun around. Cobra was there, holding Brotan's necklace and the pouch with Natsu's blood. It seemed that he had finally found a plan.

"If I can't turn Aaron into a Dragon King, then you'll have to suffice. One dead brother and one cursed lover ought to torment Zeref sufficiently."

Lucy scrambled on all fours and fell on top of the nudie magazine. "Open, Gate of the Lion!"

Loke appeared next to her, grinning.

"Look out!" she yelled.

He turned around just in time to see Cobra launching an attack.

"Poison Dragon's Sharp Horn!" Cobra shouted. He threw a punch, connecting with Loke's jaw and then released a burst of poison at point blank range.

Loke stumbled back from the force but remained standing. "Regulus!" he shouted.

A large beam of light formed near his outstretched hand and headed towards Cobra.

As Loke and Cobra continued to fight, Lucy crouched low and gathered her other summoning objects. She was particularly appreciative of Pisces's bucket. It wasn't as convenient as her key ring but it helped her carry the other objects.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" shouted Cobra. A wave of purple mist shot out of his mouth and struck Loke. The force of the blow would have normally sent Loke to the ground but he barely faltered. As Lucy watched, Loke seemed to blink in and out of existence. It was so fast, she wasn't entirely sure if she had even really seen it.

"Lion's Roar!" he shouted.

A ball of light two stories high formed and raced towards Cobra. The blast struck him and he flew back.

"Damn," whispered Lucy. Either Loke was putting on an extra special show today or he had powered up immensely since she had obtained all twelve Zodiac Keys. Still, she wanted to summon another spirit. She knew how strong dragon slayers were and she was going to need to pull out all the stops to beat Cobra. She grabbed the stick from her bucket and held it up to the air. "Open, Gate of the Archer!"

She felt a pull on her magic that was so strong, it made her dizzy. She closed her eyes, thinking for that she might pass out but she worked through the discomfort. When she opened her eyes, she found the other eleven Celestial Spirits standing in a circle around her.

"All of you… how is this even possible?"

The largest number spirits Lucy had ever previously summoned had been three.

Aquarius was the first to speak. "We were so scared that we wouldn't get to see you again. Once we heard that Loke was summoned, we all wanted to come and help." The blue mermaid smiled which was very out-of-character for her. "Each one of us summoned ourselves. We were careful to only come if your magic could handle the task but it did! You have really come a long way in training these last couple months."

Lucy looked over at Aaron's body. She had a feeling that the magical power he had passed on to her had also helped.

Cobra was standing back up. "Damnit!" he yelled at Loke. "Why can't I hear your thoughts?"

Loke smirked. "Oh, a mind reader eh? Well spirits aren't exactly the same as humans. That's not going to work on us."

The other spirits moved and stood next to him. They all looked at the man who was struggling to stay standing.

"Ebi Snip Snip!" shouted Cancer. With a burst of speed, he ran forward. His arms were a blur as he passed Cobra. Once past, he paused, allowing his back to face his opponent.

Cobra swayed as he stood. A moment later a thousand cuts appeared on is skin and he fell face-first to the ground.

He didn't get back up.

Lucy looked around at her spirits. She was trying not to cry. "It is so great to see you all. I missed you all so much."

"We missed you too princess," said Virgo.

Lucy turned to Loke. "Are you going to be okay? You took the full force of Cobra's Dragon's Roar."

Loke smiled. "Did you happen to see me disappear for an instant?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah I did."

"If my magical energy is sufficient, I can flash between the human world and the spirit world. My health partially regenerates that way."

"Wow, that's awesome," said Lucy.

A breeze was beginning to pick up. The sound of leaves rustling was suddenly cut by an earth shattering roar. Everyone turned their heads.

A massive red dragon had just appeared over a mountain top in the distance.

Natsu was coming.


	40. Chapter 40

Lucy covered her face to protect it from the swirling dust as Natsu landed. He took a couple steps in her direction and then stopped.

Capricorn used his jet pack to fly towards her. "Lucy, grab a hold of me and I'll get you away from here!" he said with a sense of urgency.

"No, it's okay. It's only Natsu," she said, trying to assure him.

Capricorn didn't look convinced. She looked around and noticed that her other spirits seemed nervous as well…hell, _she_ was nervous. There was no telling how much the Dragon King's curse had affected Natsu's personality.

There was a low rumble.

Lucy looked up and saw that Natsu's lip was curled an in menacing growl. He raised a clawed hand high in the air, ready to strike. She looked in the direction of his attack and cursed—he was about to crush Cobra's unconscious body.

His arm came down in a swift arc and crashed into the earth below, sending rocks and trees flying. At the last moment, Taurus jumped in front of her and swung his ax, deflecting a tree stump that had been heading straight for her.

As the dust settled, she looked towards the small crater that Natsu's hand had created.

Thankfully, the large depression was empty. Cancer had used his enhanced speed and moved Cobra before he could be crushed by the giant claw. Natsu was now staring at Cancer and the unconscious man with rage-filled eyes.

"Natsu!" she screamed. "Stop it!"

Natsu's eyes remained focused on his prey.

"Natsu!"

He opened his jaws and let out a deafening roar which sent some of her spirits scurrying for cover. Poor Cancer was practically trembling. Natsu sucked in a large breath, making his chest glow like burning embers.

She had to do something. If Natsu became a killer, he would be crossing a dangerous line. It wasn't just Cobra's life that was in danger, but Natsu's. She dashed out in front of Cobra and raised her arms.

At that same moment, Natsu released his Dragon's Roar.

As the heat engulfed her, Lucy closed her eyes and prayed her death would be quick.

But the heat quickly dissipated. Confused, Lucy opened her eyes.

"Lu-cy?"

Natsu was peering down at her. At the last minute he had turned his head and scorched half the countryside. The cabin that had once been Cobra's childhood home had been reduced to smoldering ashes.

She yelled up at him. "I'm not going to let you do this! I love you too much. You'll hate yourself if you kill him." She fell to her knees and began to shake.

Suddenly, the sky seemed to get brighter. She looked up. The imposing monster above her was gone.

Natsu had turned back into his human form. He knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry Lucy. God, how could I have been so stupid?"

She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "It's okay. I'm just glad you came back to me." She pulled him into a kiss. At first Natsu seemed hesitant but his resistance soon melted away to fervent caresses. It was as if he couldn't get enough of her now that she was in his arms.

She broke the kiss spotted something shining in the sun.

It was Brotan's necklace. She went and picked it up. "We should undo the curse _now_. It's too risky for you continue living like this."

Natsu frowned. "Perhaps, but it's dangerous for you too. Remember what happened last time?"

"No, I think I can do it. Cobra forced me to summon Brotan again but this time I found a way to channel the power. I think I can do this without harming myself."

He hesitated but seemed to come to a decision. "If you think you can do it, then I trust you."

She kissed him again, lingering just long enough to feel the first butterflies begin to dance in her stomach.

"Before I summon Brotan, I'll have to gather his energy inside me and then give him physical form. Cobra forced me turn him back into a ghost." She closed her eyes and searched herself. If she mixed the power from the necklace with the power that she had gotten from Aaron, she _thought_ she could pull it off.

Holding the necklace, Lucy opened her chi lines and began to let the magic from the necklace pour back into her. It was an overwhelming feeling but she had faith that her body could handle it.

When the last of the magic transferred, she had an image of Brotan pacing inside her, like a caged tiger waiting to get out.

"Brotan, I summon you." She said the words so softly, it was almost a whisper.

White mist swirled and suddenly a large white dragon was standing next to them. The pull on her power had been intense, but she hadn't lost consciousness or had a stroke.

She had summoned Brotan and was still standing.

"I see I'm back in my physical form. You gave me quite a scare there," said Brotan. He was examining his wings, as if he wanted to be sure they were truly there.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He nodded. "I should hope not. I rather like being able to stretch my wings once in a while in the Earth Realm." He glanced down at Natsu. "And I assume you want me to remove the Dragon King's curse from this young man in front of me?"

"Yes," said Lucy with a smile. "Please do."

Brotan bent his head and put his snout next to Natsu, who couldn't help but flinch. The dragon took a deep breath.

Wisps of smoke seemed to seep out of Natsu and get sucked up by Brotan. Natsu closed his eyes as Brotan removed the curse. With a final gasp of breath, Brotan finished and Natsu fell forward to his hands.

"It worked. The Dragon King's curse is gone."


	41. Chapter 41

Natsu was lying next to her, stroking her hair. There was a knock on the door.

"That's probably Zeref," said Natsu.

"Do you mind?" Lucy titled her head slightly.

"Nah." He rolled over and sat up.

She walked over to the door and opened it. Natsu was right— it was Zeref and standing behind him, was Aaron.

One of Zeref's servants had found Zeref and Natsu in their cells two days after Aaron and Cobra's escape. By then, Zeref had been on the verge of hysteria. Desperate to track down Lucy and Aaron, he had released Natsu, thinking he could track them down faster in his Dragon form.

This had been an extremely hasty and dangerous decision. Natsu had almost immediately lost control and had flown away. It seemed that he was no better at controlling the Dragon King form than Aaron.

Zeref had then contacted Igneel and the two of them had searched the countryside. Igneel had been alerted to their location the moment Cobra had forced Lucy to summon the First and had arrive soon after Natsu's curse was reverse. Zeref had immediately healed his brother's wounds. He also healed Cobra's wounds and released him. Lucy would have preferred to hand him over to the magic council Zeref seemed hesitant to get them involved.

Now Zeref was standing in her doorway, looking uncomfortable. "Aaron and I will be leaving soon. There are still a few servants milling around. They'll help you with anything else you might need."

"Wait," said Lucy. "Where are you going?"

"Aaron and I have created a lot of evil in this world. We're going to try and see if we can give something back to help right some the crimes we have committed."

"So that's it?".

"That's it," he said with a small shrug. "I've completed everything I set out to do. My brother has been returned to me and for that, I will be forever grateful."

She looked at Aaron who was watching her intently. "I don't think I can apologize enough for all the trouble I've caused you," said Aaron.

"No need. You are already forgiven."

"Thank you but I don't think I deserve that."

Zeref cleared his throat. "Well, it's been a pleasure getting to know you." He looked over her shoulder and spoke to Natsu. "Take good care of her, okay?"

"Yeah," said Natsu. He stood up and walked over. He stuck his hand out and Zeref shook it. "If you're ever in town, maybe we can get lunch or something. You know—I can get to know my big brother a little bit."

Zeref looked suprised but quickly recovered. "Yeah, that would be nice." He held out his hand for Lucy.

Lucy looked at his hand and instead threw her arms around him in a big hug. When she pulled back, his eyes looked bright. "Natsu, can you give us a minute?" she asked.

"Sure," Natsu touched her arm softly then left the room. "Let's go Aaron, I think we're both supposed to get out of here."

The brims of Zeref's eyes were getting brighter. When Natsu was gone, Lucy pulled him towards her and kissed him softly. It wasn't a deep kiss, but it held all the passion of a broken heart in it.

"If things had been different…" she began.

"Please don't," said Zeref. "I can't stop thinking about things being different. I just need to accept things as they are."

"I love him so much," she said.

"I know. And he loves you too."

Zeref bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Goodbye, Lucy Heartfilla."

"Goodbye, Zeref Dragneel."

Zeref turned and walked down the hallway. He looked back right before he reached the steps. "You know, I just might take Natsu up on his offer. Perhaps Aaron and I will come back for a visit in a couple years."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'd love to see how much stronger you get. I don't think you've reached your full potential yet. Now that the curse is broken, you may become one of the most powerful mages in the world."

She laughed. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I'm just happy to have my spirits back."

"You'll be ready sooner than you think. Take care."

And with a final flash of black, he was gone.

The End.

 _Bigdream3r: Thank you all for reading. I hoped you enjoyed it._


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